


Curse or wish?

by Yolo0312



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: F/M, Genderbending, Jealousy, M/M, attempt at flirting, trash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-03
Updated: 2017-05-10
Packaged: 2018-10-27 12:25:11
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 9
Words: 36,827
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10808967
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Yolo0312/pseuds/Yolo0312
Summary: Natsu gets in trouble, but what's new? It was his own fault for letting his guard down, really. But maybe it wasn't so bad? Maybe, things come to light and he finally accepts himself for who he is? And who would have though Gray, of all people, would be the one he was able to count on?





	1. First chapter.

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first time writing for this fandom, so I hope I didn't fuck the characters up too badly.   
> Of course they'll be a bit OOC, but I still hope you'll like it.
> 
> Rated M because there is cursing and kissing, didn't know if it was Teen or Mature, so I went for the safe option.
> 
> Disclaimer :: I don't own anything but the story!

This was a joke. The biggest joke in the entire world. There was no other explanation for it. Bare feet slapped onto the hardened ground of the street in Fiore’s neighbouring town. A nose was stuck in the air, sniffing out the scent that it had caught before. People watched confused as a dust-cloud and a shock of pink hair passed through the streets.

This was a joke. It couldn’t be anything but a joke. There was no way that this was happening. And soon the joke would be confirmed and everything would go back to normal. That was how things worked with jokes, right?

At the sight of a large, broad back clad with a familiar dark coat with furry rim, it was clear confirmation was near. There would be laughs all around about the predicament and then everything would return to normal.

“LAXUS!” a high-pitched, slightly nasal voice called out, loud enough to tremble the windows of the closest houses. Well, it was effective in getting the blonde’s attention. Bare feet skidded over the ground as the blonde stopped in his tracks to look over his shoulder, the one who had called out to him already ranting with a panicked voice.

“Laxus! You need to help me! It’s gone!” the person said as the blonde turned, his nose already having recognized who it was.

“What the hell are blab- Pfft” the lightning dragon-slayer started but was cut off by his own laughter that he tried and failed to muffle in the hand he slapped over his mouth. See, a joke. A complete and utter joke. Yet nothing had changed. Well, something had changed, but nothing had changed back.

“What the hell happened to you, Natsu?!” Laxus asked, unable to even stop laughing as the words left his mouth. Natsu really wanted the answer to that question too. But the joke was on them. Or better said, the joke _was_ them.

While it was indeed Natsu who stood in front of Laxus, scents didn’t lie, they didn’t look like the same Natsu who had left the guild on a solo mission. The Natsu in front of the lightning dragon-slayer had lost something very valuable and had gained something else. Equally as valuable to most, but useless to them.

Their pink hair that was normally short, now reached their arm-pits a little smoother with its length yet still a spiky mess. Their height had shrunk, their frame slender. So slender they were forced to hold onto their pants, the waistband slipping down their hips and baring their skin. It wasn’t the only skin bared, seeing as how their shirt couldn’t close and thus showed too much skin.

“This isn’t time to laugh, asshole! It’s gone and you laughing didn’t return it” the fire dragon-slayer exclaimed as they patted their groin, which felt oddly empty. Well, it was definitely lacking something which they had gained on top. Finally, Laxus seemed to be able to control his amusement again.

“You’re right. But first, cover up. It’s distracting” the older mage said as he took the coat from his shoulders to drape it over Natsu’s way slimmer ones, another chuckle leaving him as Natsu clung to the fabric, their cheeks red, which absolutely didn’t help the way their face had softened.

“Now, let’s go sit down somewhere to talk, because I get the feeling that it’s going to be long and good” Laxus said, though clearly entertained with the situation, unable to stop the hint of worry from entering his voice. No-one could actually blame him when suddenly a mage you thought to be male just five minutes before, stood in front of you with her boobs practically exposed and flashing entirely too much skin at the male population walking the streets.

Besides, how did one even change gender from one day to the other? Laxus had the feeling that he was either too sober to have this conversation, or that he was too drunk to be in this situation. He wasn’t entirely sure since he knew he hadn’t been drinking before. Though he could definitely use some alcohol and by the look of it, so could Natsu.

“So, what happened?” Laxus asked as they sat down at a table in a small café with their beer mugs in front of them. Natsu still looked out of it, which wasn’t all that surprising. Even Laxus felt out of place, looking at the pinkette, who had always been like some kind of little brother figure, but had now turned into a sister.

“I took a solo job because everyone was busy. Happy was invited to go on a mission with Carla and Wendy, Lucy is visiting her parents’ grave, Erza is gone on a job with Jellal and Gray is at Lamia scale to celebrate Lyon’s birthday. But because I need money for food and rent, I had to take a job” Natsu explained and Laxus gave a nod. It was a normal situation, even if it was unusual for team Natsu to split up like that.

“The job I took was barely anything difficult. It shouldn’t have been. I mean, it was just an old man who was losing his mind and needed to be brought to an old folk’s home, but it paid pretty good” the pinkette said and scowled at her mug. She could hear her own voice, which only put her off even more.

“I met with the client, who was bawling his eyes out because the guy supposedly did something to him. When I asked what, he just started wailing harder, so I dropped it. But that asshole didn’t tell me that guy was a mage” Natsu said and Laxus frowned.

“So you were hit with a curse?” he guessed and the fire dragon-slayer gave a grim nod. She could still remember everything in detail, so she told him.

++++++++++++++++++++

It had been an hour since Natsu had left the client’s house. An hour since he had been subjected to the constant crying of the man. An hour since he had been searching for an old man that had supposedly turned mad. Natsu really had no patience for this, but it couldn’t be helped. With the way he was able to clean two days of a restaurant’s food-sock in a few hours, he better have the cash to pay for it.

With a deep sigh, Natsu looked at the paper in his hand that displayed a drawing of the man he was looking for. Natsu really hoped that the man didn’t resemble the drawing, otherwise it wouldn’t be weird for him to go mad. Natsu would go mad too if he looked in the mirror and the drawing was his reflection.

The pinkette stuck his nose in the air, scenting the air for anything that seemed off. As dragon-slayer, his sense of smell was out of this world. It was so sharp, that he was even able to detect whether or not someone was not well.

He could tell when someone was suffering from a cold, or was catching one. He could smell it when someone was dying, but he absolutely loathed the foul, putrid smell it had. He could even point out the people with cancer, though he couldn’t really describe the smell.

Natsu was even able to scent out the ones who were suffering from old age or a mental illness, though he couldn’t explain how. He could barely even explain how it was possible for a certain scent to be stuck in his nose even when the source was miles away.

With a light growl, he raised his hand to rub his nose, trying to free it from the scent of freshly fallen snow and shaved ice. Natsu was fully aware of the reason why he was able to smell only that scent from so far away, yet he didn’t want to think about it.

There was no point in thinking about it. Something like that was not something he should even entertain thoughts of in the first place. It would lead only to problems he could do without. It was something that was not meant to be. Unnatural, even when it didn’t feel like it to Natsu.

Natsu had… feelings. Romantic ones. It had been a revelation the pinkette could miss like a tooth-ache. Romantic feelings would only get in the way and in his case, they were even useless to have since he was fully aware of how unnatural they were and that it wouldn’t work out anyway. Yet he had been stuck with those feelings for a couple of years, he lost count. He knew better than to hold on to them, yet Natsu was someone who worked on feelings, romantic ones included. It was impossible for him to give up so easily.

Of all the people he could get feelings for, it had to be the snow cone. Very cold, very irritating and very straight Gray Fullbuster.

For fuck’s sake, couldn’t it have been anyone else? Literally anyone? He would even take Ichi- no. On second thought, not that one. Anyone but him.

Hell, it could even have been Lucy. The guild was already having bets over when they would get together anyway. He was aware of the fact that Lucy was interested in him. More than interested, really. She wasn’t obvious about it, but everyone could tell anyway. The celestial mage was swaying back and forth between making a move or waiting for Natsu to do it.

Part of Natsu wanted to do it. Date her in the hope he could come to love her and forget about his unnatural feelings for Gray. He could force himself to try it and keep it up, even if it didn’t kill off his feelings for the ice-mage.

But the fire-mage couldn’t do something like that. If it had been anyone but Lucy, he might have actually have done more than considering it. But because it was Lucy, his best friend, he couldn’t lead her on.

He had tried imagining it, dating Lucy. Going out on dates and so weren’t really his thing, but he could do it. He could see them going to the library, as long as he didn’t burn it down. He could also see them go shopping or go to parties. Or just sit at home and laze around. Nothing different from their usual interactions.

But once he tried imagining going further like kissing, he started to draw back. Whenever he thought of taking the blonde to bed, he actually shivered. He wished he could stop it, because really, it wasn’t normal for a man, right?

Lucy was hot, he could admit as much without blinking. She was a nice girl with a beautiful smile and a body to die for. But she was a girl, and girls just didn’t do it for Natsu.

Gray did.

And god, how it scared the dragon-slayer. What kind of man falls for another man? What kind of man can only imagine strong, hard bodies whenever he has a date with his hand? What kind of man wants to know what it feels like to be held and to be roughly pounded into?

It was weird and Natsu felt his gut twist at the fact that it aroused him. He felt nothing when he looked at females in the raunchy porn-mags that passed through the guild. Yet whenever there was a guy taking off his clothes or wearing a shirt that was a little too tight, Natsu had to force himself to look away.

And fuck if Gray didn’t have an annoying, but god-sent, stripping habit. That just made everything so much worse. Natsu had to constantly remind himself not to look for longer than two seconds and to act as if he was annoyed instead of filing the images away for at night where he imagined that same naked body moving against his own.

It was abnormal for a man to do those things. For someone of the male gender to think that way of someone of the same gender. Something must have been miss-wired in his head. Maybe Igneel had dropped him too much while they flew. God knew how many times that had happened.

Natsu sighed. Why couldn’t he just be normal?

“I have heard your wish” a warm, slightly low voice said as a yellow glowing touch to his forehead registered in Natsu’s mind, joined by a foul smell. His eyes focused as he looked down on the man sitting on a cane right in front of him, so close the pinkette could see the age-spots on the man’s wrinkled skin.

Natsu cursed himself for letting his guard down as he jumped back. He was weary, not sure he could trust the kind, closed-eyed smile the man was sending him. His forehead felt warm, but not hot. It confused Natsu, who had fully expected to be harmed when he had let his guard down in such close quarters to someone he didn’t know. But on closer look, the elderly man was familiar.

“Ah! You’re that guy! The swindler!” Natus exclaimed, the drawing he had had before slipped from his hands along the way where he had gotten spaced out. God, this was why he hated being alone.

Upon being recognized, the man laughed as he hopped off his cane before taking off. Now, Natsu was anything but slow. He was one of the fastest members of fairy tail. Which was why he was very ashamed when he lost track of the man completely after running around town and into the woods.

Natsu panted with his hands on his knees, looking around and wondering where exactly he was. Fuck, that man could run, especially for someone who was dying. Natsu hoped that he hadn’t dropped dead in the woods somewhere, since there was something messing with his senses and Natsu couldn’t get a hold of any smells other than the forest around him.

The pinkette heaved a sigh, tugging at his scarf as drops of perspiration slid from his forehead towards his neck, his body burning up way more than it should have. With the back of his hand, Natsu wiped away the sweat from his brow as he sat down against a tree.

He figured he could take a small break since he had sensed zero malicious intent from the older man. Natsu was fully aware of the fact that as long as the man thought that what he was doing wasn’t malicious, it would only show hints in his scent. Also, with the overpowering smell of impeding death, it was rather hard for Natsu to push past his distaste for the foul smell and look for hints of malice.

Natsu’s eyes grew heavy, his head lolling forward as his head was spinning. The heaviness of his eyes seemed like nothing compared to the heaviness of his body that felt as if gravity was working against it. He had been dizzy when he had started running, but hadn’t put any thought on it. Thinking back, he should have. But at this point, he could think about it later.

The dragon-slayer didn’t know how long it took for him to wake up, but he was acutely aware of the sweat that had dried on his skin where he had passed out against a tree trunk. The fact that he had fallen over into the forest floor didn’t help things. When he focussed on his hearing, he could hear a creak a little further. He would go clean up real quick before trying to look for that old man again.

Natsu crouched down at the creak, dipping his hands into the water before bending forward to splash the water into his face. He froze when he felt something fall in front of his face, something soft that tickled his cheek as it brushed against his skin. His eyes shot open, instantly spotting the source of the weird tingly feeling.

His hair. There was no doubt about those salmon pink locks. They belonged to no-one other than himself. But why were they so long? And since when? Had he slept so long that his hair had grown that much?

When Natsu looked at his reflection on the surface of the water, he actually screamed. He touched his own face, wondering just when his face had gotten softer. And when his hands had gotten so slender? And were those… were those boobs?!

Natsu couldn’t stop himself from doing it. He had to. How else would he confirm it? Confirm if they were real? Oh, damn, they were real. The dragon slayer had felt Lucy’s boobs enough for him to know that the firm, yet fleshy mounds that filled his palm were legit boobs, and not exactly small either, even if they weren’t as big as Lucy’s.

Dreading but knowing he had to do it, Natsu slid his hand lower, feeling his abs, still hard as ever even if his waist was much smaller than before. A second scream left his lips when he found it gone, feeling an empty space between his legs that should have been filled.

Ohgodohgodohgodohgodohgodohgodohgodohgodohgodohgodohgodohgodohgod.

This couldn’t be happening. That freaking old geezer with that touch on his forehead! When Natsu got his hand on that old fuck, he’d strangle him before burning off whatever hairs had been on that head. But even after a full night and half a day of searching not only the forest but the town as well, Natsu saw neither hide nor hair of the man. He did catch a familiar scent, which he instantly took off after, not knowing what else to do.

++++++++++++++++++++

“And that’s what happened” Natsu finished her story at the same time she finished her second mug. At this current moment, she was so glad for the alcohol. By the look on Laxus’s face, Natsu wasn’t the only one.

“So, if I get it right? You got careless because you were thinking too hard and got a spell placed on you?” the blonde asked as he looked at his half-empty mug. Natsu had been careful to leave out the part where she had let her guard down because she had been thinking about Gray.

“Yeah” Natsu confirmed and Laxus sighed.

“Really, Natsu, how much of a fucking idiot can you be?” the blonde dragon-slayer asked, already passed the amusement phase.

“You don’t have to tell me. My chest feels heavy and I lost my dick” Natsu said, ignoring the taken aback looks she received at her blunt use of the word dick when she looked like a girl. Laxus heaved a heavy sigh as he rubbed his forehead.

“We’ll have to tell Gramps about this. Maybe go to Porlyusica and have you checked out to make sure that it’s nothing dangerous” he said and Natsu looked away. She really didn’t want that, but she also had no other choice. It wasn’t like Laxus was going to let her escape.

“Fuck, Natsu, honestly. Just how much trouble can you get into with that pea-brain of yours?” Laxus asked and it was the genuine question in his voice that ticked the pinkette off.

“It’s not my fault!” she said but knew that it really was. Whose else was it going to be? She could blame Gray for distracting her all she wanted, but it came ultimately down to the fact that she had been the one to fall for him. There fell no blame on the ice-mage. Natsu was not as petty as to blame someone who had nothing to do with it.

The whole walk back to Magnolia, Natsu was silent, keeping Laxus’s cloak around her to cover herself where her top didn’t close and her pants kept sliding off her hips. Not just down her hips, but off them. She had no doubt that she looked ridiculous, swimming in the size of the cloak that brushed the ground.

“I think I’d rather face Gildarts after telling him I knocked Cana up” Natsu said and Laxus snorted as he looked down at the dragon-slayer next to him, the dread clear on her pale face.

“At this time, the guild is practically empty” he assured and Natsu grimaced as the guild came in sight.

“Then how can we be sure Gramps will be there?” she asked, hoping that the master wouldn’t be there so she could avoid the inevitable for just a little longer.

“Gramps sleeps at the guild. There’s no way he won’t be there unless he’s dying and let’s not even joke about that” Laxus said and instantly, Natsu’s mood plummeted into a depressed one. There were certain things one didn’t joke about in the guild, and at the top of that was the master’s age and the question of how long he would still be around.

Natsu dreaded the moment she would be able to smell that foul scent from her beloved gramps even more than she dreaded entering the guild the way she was at that current moment. It was a grim encouragement, but it was something. It was enough for her to follow closely after Laxus when he stepped inside the guild.

Keeping her head down, Natsu could tell that the blonde had been right before and the guild was practically empty. Mira was not even behind the bar Cana was passed out over. Reedus was already drawing one of his many drawings in the corner of the guild. Nab was, once again, standing indecisively in front of the request board. Max and Warren were sitting at a table, playing a game of cards.

Nobody really paid any attention to the bright-haired duo as they walked up the stairs to the second floor where Makarov’s office was. Laxus was first to walk in after knocking at the door and receiving permission to enter.

“Gramps, we’ve got a situation” the blonde announced and Natsu could hear Makarov’s heavy sigh.

“On a scale of one to ten” he requested and Laxus grabbed the back of his coat that Natsu was wearing, hauling the pinkette inside.

“You tell me” he said and Natsu grumbled, wanting nothing more than to run back outside as Laxus unceremoniously pulled open his coat the pinkette was holding on to, promptly causing Makarov’s mouth to fall open before he fainted.

Great. That meant the trip to Porlyusica was unavoidable.


	2. Second chapter.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Enter Lucy =)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer :: I don't own anything but the story!

She was being stubborn, even more so than usual. She was painfully aware of this. But if the other option was facing everyone at the guild, she’d rather be doing this. This being locking everyone out of her house and lazing on the couch. The visit to Porlyusica last week had told her that there was no immediate danger to her health and that she could go on missions like usual.

If she came outside, that was.

At this point, she didn’t think that was going to happen. She had even locked Happy outside. The exceed had been all for it the first two days, since it gave him an excuse to stay at Wendy’s with Carla. But by now, Happy sounded extremely worried. Especially with Natsu faking a cold in order not to use his voice. Happy would instantly notice it if she spoke.

She felt bad for making Happy worried, but she just didn’t have the guts to face him the way she was now. She didn’t even know why she was so sensitive to it all. Not really anyway. In any other situation, she’d be at the guild, regardless of what had happened, even if her skin had turned purple because of some weird mushrooms she had eaten.

But currently, she wanted to do nothing but lay on her couch with her arm covering her eyes as if to block out reality. The reality of her changed body. Nothing was remotely okay about this. Taking a shower was awkward and going to the toilet a regular pain. She wanted nothing to do with those kind of genitals even when she had been a man.

Natsu didn’t know how to feel about her current predicament and her confusion brought fear. If they saw her, how would the guild react? They would laugh like Laxus had, no doubt. But what would happen afterwards? Would they shun her, because she was different now? Would they look at her with weird eyes?

Would Lucy still want to hang out with her? Would Erza still want to go along on missions with them? Would they treat her differently now that she looked different? She didn’t look any weaker, and there were plenty of strong women in the guild who could give Natsu a run for her money when they tried. But would they think of her as useless because she had gotten in this predicament because of her carelessness?

But what really was at the forefront of Natsu’s worries, was Gray. She had heard from Happy that all the members of Team Natsu had returned, with Erza as last three days ago. Gray had apparently arrived before Lucy, but after Wendy, Carla and Happy.

Natsu had wanted to go see him, wanted to ask how the party at Lamia scale had been. Right after insulting him and getting into a fight, of course. That was their normal way of doing things. But would that still continue if Gray found out Natsu had suddenly changed gender? Would he be disgusted with her because of the way she looked, but what she was on the inside?

Or could it be the opposite?

Natsu jolted at the thought that snuck up on her, her hands clenching in fists as a quick but bitter huff left her nose. The opposite? The opposite of what? Natsu was fully aware that Gray would never look at her that way. They were friends, somewhat. And just because she had feelings for Gray, didn’t mean that Gray’s went beyond those of a nakama.

Besides, Gray had Juvia. The two mages had grown closer over time and just like with Lucy and Natsu, bets were placed all around. When would they get together? Who would make the first move? Would they be all over each other, or would Juvia become less clingy?

For the sake of appearing normal, Natsu had added to the bet, though not out of her own movement. Cana had dragged her into it, drunk and pushy until the pinkette had said that it would take at least a year for Gray to get interested in Juvia. She was currently closest into winning that bet, though she didn’t like it at all. 

The dragon-slayer’s nose wiggled as she caught a familiar scent, a deep sigh leaving her chest, stuttering at the end. As expected, there was no way she’d be able to avoid them forever. Or at least until she changed back into he. If that ever happened.

Natsu waited without moving a muscle until there was a knock on the door, as if her scent hadn’t already alerted the pinkette of her guest.

“Natsu? Are you there?” Lucy’s voice came careful, worried. It was a sting to Natsu’s heart. It wasn’t the first time Lucy had passed by, and it certainly won’t be the last until Natsu reacted to her. That was the last thing Natsu wanted to do, but Lucy didn’t seem to have any intention of leaving her alone.

“If your throat hurts too much to talk, I brought marshmallow root tea. I drink this whenever I have a cold or a sore throat and it worked wonders. Maybe you can try it” Lucy said, her voice getting hopeful towards the end. Natsu felt like a shitty friend on top of feeling like shit. Makarov had told the guild that Natsu was sick on the pinkette’s request, but she was sure that at this point, she was worrying everyone. And let that be something she hated to do more than to lose.

Before she could talk herself out of it, she stood up, the creak of her old couch alerting Lucy of movement. Natsu didn’t want to do this. She didn’t want to open the door and reveal what had happened. But her hand had already closed around the doorknob. 

Honestly, what harm could it do to tell Lucy? She was smart, way smarter than Natsu was. Maybe she knew a solution or could find one in one of her many books? She would support the dragon-slayer, Natsu knew this. Yet she hesitated.

“Natsu? Are you there? Could you please open the door? Please?” Lucy asked, pleading the pinkette to open the door and let her in. To confide in her and allow her to help her best friend. 

Natsu watched how her eyes widened when she opened the door, revealing what the problem was without saying a single word. She could see the clogs turn in the blonde’s head as they stared at each other, one in shock and the other with bags under her eyes and a pale face.

Natsu had tried her best to hide her body as good as possible by wearing extremely baggy clothes, yet there was no hiding her face or her statue. Lucy had no problem connecting the dots in her head before she held up the bag in her hand.

“I brought tea” she said and Natsu stepped aside to let her in. Lucy looked weary and disbelieving even when she tried to hide it. Because Lucy had been over quite a few times, she knew her way to the kitchen as Natsu trailed after her with sluggish movements. In silence, Natsu sat down at the kitchen table while Lucy moved around to warm the water, using the stove for once. 

“You know I’m going to ask, right? You don’t have to answer if you don’t want to” Lucy said as she placed down a cup of freshly brewed tea in front of the dragon-slayer.

“I was careless and I got cursed by an old man who was a mage, but that was left out of the request and the conversation with the client” Natsu gave the story in a very shallow nutshell. Lucy looked put-off at the short explanation, but she would wait to ask for more. At least until Natsu had regained some colour in her face.

“Are you hungry? I can make you something?” Lucy suggested, feeling awkward with the silence as Natsu just stared at the tea in front of her.

“’M not hungry” the pinkette said and Lucy frowned worried.

“When was the last time you ate something?” she asked and Natsu shrugged.

“I don’t know? Like, Tuesday maybe” she answered, shocking the blonde.

“Natsu! That’s three days ago! Have you even been drinking since then?” she asked as she jumped up from where she had sat down on the chair in front of the dragon-slayer.

“I have” Natsu answered as she picked up the cup to prove her words, even if it was only a very small sip. Obviously, Lucy was not satisfied with Natsu not eating and barely drinking, but as she looked in the small fridge the pinkette owned, she grimaced.

“We’re going outside” she announced and Natsu’s stomach twisted. Hell no.

“I’m not going” Natsu said and Lucy looked at him like a mother would look at her annoying child that was refusing to eat her vegetables at a restaurant.

“You need to eat, Natsu” she said sternly and Natsu clenched her fingers around the cup.

“I’m not hungry” he said, repeating her earlier words which were sort of the truth. She was a bit hungry, but she just didn’t feel like eating. It felt like too much of an effort. Chewing required energy she didn’t want to waste.

“Then eat for the hunger that is coming later” Lucy held firm and Natsu glared at her.

“I’m not going outside” she said but Lucy was not backing down. Damned stubborn woman. If she went outside on her own to get food, Natsu wouldn’t let her in again. Lucy obviously knew this, and absolutely didn’t want that. Not after Natsu had finally let her in.

“You can choose, Natsu. Either we go to the lake in the forest to catch a fish, or we go to town for groceries. But either way, you’re going to eat something, even if I have to shove it down your throat” Lucy threatened and Natsu narrowed her eyes.

“I’m not going outside like this, Lucy. I’m a freaking woman” she snapped and Lucy huffed.

“Town it is then” she said and grabbed Natsu’s arm. The pinkette jumped away, knocking over her table in the progress.

“I’m not going outside, Lucy! Look at me! I’ve got fucking boobs! I can’t just stroll outside and act normal!” Natsu said and Lucy narrowed her eyes. Though all the blonde’s actions were fuelled by worry, it didn’t make Natsu any more pliant. 

“Okay, fine! I won’t drag you outside on the condition that you let me in again when I get back. If you don’t, I’ll take out Taurus and break down the door” Lucy said and Natsu tensed. That freaking bull was a woman-crazy spirit and Lucy was well aware of how he would react to Natsu. She was doing it on purpose and Natsu knew this.

“You wouldn’t” she said, though rather unsure and Lucy reached for the leather pouch at her hip, giving it an affectionate rub that was a silent threat to the pinkette.

“You know I would” she shot back and Natsu grimaced.

“I’ll beat him up” the dragon-slayer said and Lucy smirked, one that didn’t fit her, yet at the same time did. She was a lot slyer than people gave her credit for.

“With what energy?” she asked and Natsu clenched her fists as she was unable to deny that. She was painfully aware of how low her energy levels were. Just the idea of wrestling that cow and then having him on top of her as he would no doubt overpower her, was enough to make her relent. She’d rather put up with Lucy’s force-feeding than with that perverted cow.

“Okay, fine!” the dragon-slayer snarled and Lucy’s smirk fell away, making place for a worried, pitying expression.

“I’ll be right back” she said and Natsu sat back down, her head spinning slightly.

“Yeah, no need to hurry. I’m not going anywhere” she said and Lucy gave her a troubled smile. True to her word, the celestial mage didn’t take long, and like Natsu had promised, the door was open when she returned. It wasn’t all that surprising, considering Natsu hadn’t moved from where she sat in the kitchen. 

“I brought meat” Lucy said, in the hope of cheering the pinkette up. Her attempt only got a sigh, which was echoed by her. Natsu appreciated the blonde’s attempt, but she honestly didn’t want to be cheered up at the moment. Usually, it was her cheering everyone ese up with her endless energy, but right now, she just wanted to sulk and be depressed for a while. 

Who could blame her? She had been turned into a woman because of her own carelessness, which only made her feel useless and incapable. Even she was allowed to wallow in self-pity for a while. Preferably until she had changed back into a man.

“I brought a few things extra, though I don’t know if you’ll like them” Lucy said as she turned on the stove again instead of just letting Natsu grill the meat.

“I brought a few clothes and a few books that I think will shed some light on what has happened to you” Lucy said and her lest words did catch Natsu’s attention as she lifted her eyes to the blonde’s back.

“I mean, you barely told me anything, but I did gather that you were hit with a curse, right? Maybe if we can find out who cursed you, or with what curse, we might find a way to change you back” she said and Natsu looked down again.

“I don’t know the old man’s name. The client didn’t either” she said and Lucy looked over her shoulder, her face lighting up with the reactions he got, which she counted as positive.

“Do you remember what he did? Or what happened?” she asked, eager to make the pinkette talk more.

“He touched my forehead after saying ‘I have heard your wish’ but I hadn’t even said anything” Natsu said as she raised her hand to where the old man had placed his finger.

“It was just with a single finger and it didn’t feel malicious. My fore-head got warm, but not hot. But since I’m a fire-mage, I don’t know if it would be hot for others or not” she said and Lucy shook her head.

“That doesn’t matter. Do you remember what happened after that?” she asked and Natsu gave a nod, spurred on by Lucy’s eagerness to help her.

“The warmth spread through my body, but I was too busy with chasing that freakishly fast geezer so I didn’t pay it any mind. But I got exhausted way faster than usual. I had to stop the chase because I had gotten dizzy and really sweaty, but I wasn’t hot enough to actually sweat, but it wasn’t cold sweat either” she said and frowned.

“Anyway, I sat down against a tree and passed out for I don’t know how long. When I woke up, my dick was gone and I got these in the place” Natsu said and grimaced as he jerked his thumb at his chest.

“I went looking for that geezer again, but couldn’t find a single trace of him. I did find Laxus, which was a stroke of luck. He took me to gramps and then to Porlyusica” she said and Lucy frowned.

“Did she say something?” she asked and Natsu shrugged.

“She did some tests and besides the fact that I’m completely female, external and internal, she said that there was no immediate danger for my health. I can go on missions like usual but I have to pass by if something happens or changes” Natsu said and sighed deeply as she rubbed her face with both her hands. 

She hated this. She hated everything about this. She wanted to talk, wanted to tell Lucy her worries and her fears, but she couldn’t. Natsu had always been the one everyone fell back on, the one to be the rock when all else crashed. She was painfully aware of the fact that even she sometimes needed someone to lean back on, but she couldn’t allow herself to do that. 

Even if she wanted to, it was impossible. Whenever she tried, she choked up and changed the subject. And now that she was in a situation she desperately needed someone to fall back on, she was scared. Scared of both having someone to catch her, and having nobody to catch her. She didn’t want to be in this situation and the fact that she was and in need for someone to be her rock, was what she hated more than the gender change.

She felt weak and useless, not physically, but mentally. She had always seen herself as someone who was mentally and physically strong. Strong enough to pull through in the moments when everyone was losing faith or doubting. She prided herself on that. And to have that taken away from her, was scary and degrading. It made her feel pathetic. People had seen her cry too many times before.

“This doesn’t change anything, you know” Lucy said, her words cutting through Natsu’s thoughts as she placed a plate full of meat, vegetables and pasta in front of the dragon-slayer. Meat might not be the best thing to eat on a stomach that had been empty for a while, but it was best to serve the pinkette something she would surely like and would be more inclined to eat.

“You’re still Fairy tail’s Natsu. Whether you have boobs or not, doesn’t change who you are on the inside” Lucy said as she sat down in front of the dragon-slayer with her own plate, having taken the freedom to prepare food for them both. Natsu had never seen a problem with it before and neither did she now.

“I’ll help you look for a way to change back. You just be your own usual loud-mouthed, destructive self” Lucy said with a smile and Natsu felt comforted with those words.

“Everyone is worried about you, you know” the blonde said and the fire-mage looked down. She knew everyone was worried. Happy never failed to remind her. But she couldn’t gather the courage to face them yet. Not right now. She was still not comfortable enough in her new body to withstand all the jokes and the laughter she would no doubt face. She wouldn’t blame them, but it would still hit her hard even if they had no ill intention. But before that, she would have to regain her energy and face Happy. 

With slow but deliberate movements, she started eating, forcing bite after bite down her throat. Lucy looked happy to see her eat and that alone was enough for Natsu to eat her plate empty. By the time she was done, she was absolutely full even if it had been like 1/5th of what she usually ate. She knew it wasn’t because something physically, but mentally and she was grateful Lucy didn’t say anything about.

The celestial mage stayed at Natsu’s apartment, reading the books she had brought while Natsu sat in the sofa, casting glanced towards the black bag every once in a while. She could guess what was inside just by looking at the name on the bag. No doubt those were the clothes Lucy had mentioned, but Natsu had no intention of looking at them. At least not yet. Thank god Lucy wasn’t pushing him.

There was a knock on the door and Natsu looked up at its wooden surface, scenting the air to find a scent that was almost as familiar as gramps’. The dragon-slayer knew that Happy would be hurt if he found out that Lucy had been inside while he hadn’t been.

“Come on in, buddy” Natsu called out even before Happy could knock. The exceed barely even knocked since he knew Natsu’s sense of smell, but lately he had taken to it to be extra careful. But that careful was thrown out of the window as the door flung open right before Natsu had a chest full of Happy who was desperately trying not to cry. 

Natsu tensed up at first, feeling overly aware of the exceed buried between the two large lumps that shouldn’t be there and the weird sensation it brought, but soon wrapped her arms around the little blue fur ball. A small smile spread on her lips as well as on Lucy’s.

“Natshuu!” Happy cried, as the pinkette felt a pang of guilt go through her chest at his tone. She had really worried the little blue cat, hadn’t she? 

“You’re not dying are you?!” Happy asked as he lifted his head to look at the dragon-slayer’s face. Natsu rubbed the exceed’s head between the ears with a soft smile.

“I don’t plan on kicking the bucket yet, Happy” Natsu assured her partner and Happy tilted his head.

“Natsu, why do you have boobs?” he asked and the dragon-slayer grimaced at his blunt question. 

“That’s too blunt, Happy’ Lucy scolded and Natsu fell back into the couch again, not letting go of the blue fur ball. She would have to do the story a few times over, so she could start with telling Lucy and Happy. She repeated her early explanation again, but with a little more details. It wasn’t as detailed as the explanation she had given Laxus, Makarov and Porlyusica, but it was enough for his two best friends to know what had happened.

“Buddy, you gotta promise me to keep this a secret, okay? For now” Natsu said and Happy looked up at her.

“Not even Carla?” he asked and Natsu gave him a stern look.

“Not even Carla” he confirmed and Happy nodded. He looked slightly put off but promised none the less. It wasn’t often Natsu asked him to keep a secret, so he would keep it a secret and proof that he was trustable. Natsu was already happy with the fact the flying cat wasn’t teasing her. She wasn’t sure she’d be taking it as good as she did before.

It was dark outside when Lucy decided that she had stayed too late. Of course, this was after she had made sure Natsu had eaten at least a bowl of soup, if nothing else. Gathering the books she had brought with her, the blonde mage stopped at the door. 

“Make sure to eat tomorrow. Happy, I’m counting on you to force him to eat. If you have any questions about the whole… womanhood, just give me a call with the larcima, or pass by. Or send Happy. And then tomorrow, we’ll meet at the guild-library to-” Lucy ranted but was cut off by the pinkette.

“I’m not going to the guild. Not yet” Natsu said and Lucy frowned at her.

“You need to come outside, Natsu. You need sun-light and fresh air” she said and Natsu looked down.

“Then I’ll just go fishing or something. Just not the guild. I’m not ready yet to have people see me like this” Natsu said, feeling her chest clench and her stomach turn at the idea of showing up the way she currently was in front of the people that were her family. In front of Gray.

God, how she hated to be this weak, clustered to her house by her own nerves about how her crush would see her. A crush she wasn’t even supposed to have. She could agree with Lucy and she knew that she couldn’t let this change her, but she needed time to come to terms with her changed body before she was able to fearlessly face others. 

Lucy gave her an understanding, but sad smile as she recognized what Natsu wasn’t teling her. She relented, telling her that it was fine if she didn’t come tomorrow but that she was going to have to face them sooner or later. Natsu was aware of this but was grateful that Happy supported her, telling her that he would stay with her.

After closing the door behind the blonde mage, Natsu’s eyes landed back on the black bag that had been left behind. She picked it up, doubting whether or not to look inside. If Lucy had brought clothes like the ones she wore, Natsu would be burning them. Even bras were too much to deal with for the current moment. 

She just wanted time. Time to come to terms with the body she didn’t know was temporary or not. Time to train herself, mentally as physically in order to withstand the drain her current body would take on her and for her to be able to still meet Gray head on. She wouldn’t, couldn’t allow herself to be weak in front of him.

Not in front of Gray. It was only during a brawl that she had his attention all for herself, and if she had to be honest, she didn’t want to lose that. For that reason, she would have to be exactly the same as she was before. Personality wise and physical strength wise. That was priority. Even if she was allowed to harbor unnatural feelings for the ice-mage, she didn’t want to lose the friendship/rivalry she had with him.

“Happy, let’s go train tomorrow” Natsu said as she crawled into her hammock, looking over at the flying cat who beamed at her. After a week of hearing nothing and seeing Natsu weak and sluggish as she had opened the door, the familiar promise brought such an incredible relief to the exceed that he couldn’t stop the grin and the ‘Aye, sir!’

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for reading!


	3. Third chapter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Enter Gray =)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer :: I don't own anything but the story!

It was too quiet in the guild without the loud-mouthed dragon-slayer. The first few days, it had been normal, the calm a welcome change. But after more than two weeks without Natsu, it had gotten incredibly uncomfortable. Or at least that was how Gray felt.

After he had returned from his trip to Lamia scale, he had heard rumours of Makarov making an announcement about Natsu. Apparently, the flame-brain got himself stuck with some kind of condition and that it would take a while before Natsu would return. But since it were rumours and they tended to be blown out of proportion, Gray had taken it with less than a grain of salt.

Natsu Dragneel not coming to the guild? What a joke. Unless the idiot had a mission, there was nothing stopping the pink-haired mage from being at the guild, causing bar-fight after bar-fight. But that was in normal circumstances.

Natsu was indeed staying away from the guild for one reason or another. A reason nobody knew and could only speculate about. Gray included. But the best the ice-mage could come up with was a cold and the thought of the dragon-slayer catching a cold was laughable.

He’d probably just burn it up until it was gone. And even if that wasn’t possible, he’d still show up at the guild. He had been injured much more than a cold and had still been there, trying to pick a fight. It had happened so much before that Gray couldn’t help but worry. What would be bad enough for the flame brain not to come to the guild? 

Was he dying? No, Gray doubted even that would be able to stop him from coming to the guild. Then, maybe it was something with his dragonic side that caused it? Did Gajeel or Wendy suffer from the same things or was it just Natsu? Were his powers malfunctioning somehow and posed a threat to the people around him or himself?

Whatever it was, Gray didn’t like it. He didn’t want to think about it, if he had to honest. He didn’t want to see the salmon-haired mage ill. The only thing Natsu should be doing was annoy the hell out of him and drag him into destroying a town or a mountain and then get chewed out by Gramps with him. 

Gray was used to that. Used to seeing Natsu as his fucked-up, unofficial partner in crime. With the amount of trouble they got into together, they could hardly be called anything else. Well, besides polar opposites that set each other off on sight. But that was just the way they communicated. 

They bickered, they fought, they yelled, they punched, they kicked. But they also joked and laughed together, they drank together and partied together. That was just how it was between them, and that as exactly how Gray liked it. In the dishonesty of their friendship, they were honest and upfront about everything else.

If they were pissed, the other knew. If they were sad, the other knew. If they were excited, the other knew. It was the dynamic of their bond that they had had as children. They dealt blows, but at the same time, they talked. It was almost embarrassing how much the cheesy line of ‘men talk with their fists’ fitted them. Gray could practically hear Elfman in the background scream ‘Man’ and he could really miss that.

Gray sighed as he looked up at the ceiling of the guild hall, slouched in one of the booths in the back of the room, his arms and knees widely. Juvia sat next to him, talking about her previous mission while Lucy sat opposite of them, with her nose buried in a book while more books were splayed out in front of her at the table. 

She had been like that for the past week, without telling anyone what she was looking up so passionately. She entered the guild early and left in between, only to return with more books before she had to be reminded that it was already dark outside and that it would be best for her to go home or sleep at the infirmary.

Gray was sure it had to do with Natsu somehow. He could tell from the way she was acting, the look in her eyes. He didn’t know why he was able to tell, but he didn’t really care either. It was obvious to those closest to the duo that Lucy had fallen for their pyromaniac. Gray didn’t know if Natsu knew about it himself.

Gray knew that Natsu wasn’t oblivious, yet the pinkette was unaware of the fact that he attracted the attention wherever he went, and not just because of his bright hair. Fairy tail’s salamander had a solid fanbase. It wasn’t as big as Laxus’s or Mirajane’s, but it was something else he rivalled Gray in. The ice mage wasn’t surprised by it.

He wasn’t stubborn enough to not admit the fact that Natsu was hot, and not only because he was a fire dragon-slayer. Something Gray would never admit was that he had checked the cherry blossom haired mage out more than once. It was hard not to when everything about him just screamed for attention even without doing anything.

Gray almost laughed as no sooner as the thought entered his head, he caught sight of a shock of pink hair. Lucy had said that she had managed to convince Natsu to come to the guild, alas the reason why Gray was there at the hour that was usually too early for him. He normally arrived a little before noon, when Cana woke up. Yet the news of Natsu possibly showing up, had him get out of the house earlier.

Just to sooth the worries he had about Natsu’s absence and his health. And by the looks of it, he did look different, not entirely well. His skin was paler, his hair longer, his statue shorter and his chest lar- what?

Gray’s jaw threatened to go slack as he really looked at the pinkette, taking in the way the one sleeved long shirt was stretched around his chest, that was way plumper than he had ever known it to be while leaving his guild-mark exposed. The split in the front of the gold-rimmed black shirt bared his belly button while the back reached the back of his knees.

Despite the split in the long shirt, it was still tight-fitting, accentuating a waist that should not be that slender, yet was. It only served to put the attention on the chest on top and the hips on the bottom, that were wider than that had been before, a white shin-length pants belted right below the V-cut of her lower abs.

Gray had to double check the scaled scarf, squinted eyes, scar on the cheek and pink hair, to be sure it was Natsu who was with Happy. He was shocked to realize that it was indeed the dragon-slayer that walked up to them, though the hair was longer. And Gray really ought to stop staring and close his mouth.

“Yo” Natsu greeted as soon as she was close enough to be audible, lifting a hand in greeting and Gray had to cut back the outburst that threatened to escape him. After worrying the whole guild for more than two weeks, the dragon-slayer just walked in looking like a freaking woman, and had the gall to just give them a ‘yo’? With the voice of a woman?!

Well, it certainly silenced the guild-hall until not even a pin dared to drop. All eyes were on Natsu as h-she, approached the table Gray, Lucy and Juvia were sitting at, her hips swaying with her steps in a way they hadn’t before. No, they had, but Gray wasn’t going to admit that he had been staring at Natsu’s ass for long enough to notice.

“Ah, Natsu. Perfect timing. I think I might have found something” Lucy said, unsurprised by the dragon-slayer’s appearance. Her words made Natsu rush over to them, catching her knee on the bench in her haste, causing her to practically tumble with her head into the blonde’s lap. Luckily for Lucy, the pinkette was able to stop herself by grabbing a hold of the back-leaning of the bench and the table. 

“What did you find?” Natsu asked eagerly as she looked at the book in Lucy’s hands. Was she really just going to ignore the bomb her appearance had just dropped? Was she really just going to ignore Gray’s inner turmoil? Not that she would know about it, but fuck. There was no way Gray was the only one shocked, and there was no way Natsu wouldn’t notice. 

“Look, here. This book says something about a gender change spell, not a curse” Lucy said as she pointed at something in the book she was holding, causing Natsu’s eyes to narrow.

“’The gender spell allows one to switch their appearance and gender for a certain amount of time, depending on how much magic one put in the spell. The spell can be reversed prior to the end of the time-limit by the caster of the spell pronouncing the spell backwards’” the dragon-slayer read out loud and frowned.

“That doesn’t seem right. I mean, the spell is wrong. That guy didn’t say anything like this” she said and Lucy looked at her.

“Yeah, but some mages don’t need to say the spell out loud, do they? Could it be possible that he was that skilled?” she asked and Gray frowned, glad that he was listening to their conversation as he tried to make sense of it, attempting to connect the dots in his head. Had Natsu been hit by a gender-spell? Well, like Gramps had said, that was certainly a situation. 

“I don’t know. He was pretty damn fast for a geezer, but I can’t tell if he was that skilled at spell-casting. Besides, this spell is focussed on the caster themselves, right? And it tends to end faster when it’s casted onto someone else. I’ve been stuck like this ever since and it’s shown no signs of changing” Natsu said and Happy on top of her head looked down.

“Do you think that that man had enough magic to make it last this long?” he asked and Natsu’s eyes turned upwards, despite knowing she wouldn’t be able to actually look at the exceed.

“I doubt it. He reeked of death” Natsu said grimly and Happy’s face fell.

“I’m not trying to be cold or anything, but it says here that the spell will return to normal if the connection with the caster is broken. In case the man died, you should change back” Lucy said and Natsu looked at her, her expression brightening up with that possibility while Gray had to bite the inside of his cheek hard to prevent himself from asking questions. He knew that as soon as he opened his mouth, Natsu would close herself off and then he would know nothing.

“I wouldn’t count on that too much” a low gruff voice spoke up behind their table, the large frame of the guild’s third dragon-slayer looming up behind the pinkette.

“Hate to be the bringer of bad news, but apparently, some guys from sabertooth stumbled upon his body when they returned from a mission and the job requests of him are being pulled back” Laxus said and Natsu looked up at him with a grimace.

“Seriously?” she asked and the blonde dragon slayer gave a nod. Natsu let her head hang down with a deep sigh.

“So I guess we can scrap this option” Lucy said bitter, though not with Laxus or Natsu.

“Whuhoo, you really did turn into a woman” Bickslow said as he leaned forward to get a closer look at Natsu, who backed away uneasily.

“Freed was crying when he heard the rumour of Laxus and a hot woman wearing his coat” the human possession mage said, earning a huff from the bright-green haired mage behind him as he crossed his arms in front of his chest.

“I wasn’t crying” Freed said, only earning a scoff from Evergreen and Bickslow, completely ignored by Laxus.

“Well, at least he doesn’t look too bad as a woman, though he’ll never win against my looks” Evergreen said as she flipped her hair over her shoulder before stalking off to find her totally-not-boyfriend. Gray wanted to argue with her that Natsu already had her beat on that, but he held his tongue. 

He was incredibly sure Natsu would deck him for it and he really didn’t need to give Juvia another delusion of a love-rival. It would only add to the rumours and bets there were about them. Gray appreciated Juvia as a mage and as a nakama, but he didn’t think he’d be able to see her as something beyond a friend.

She was too clingy for his taste, too obsessed with him. Her stalker tendencies tended to make him uneasy and it was rather hard to not notice it whenever she followed him to his apartment. Even now, he barely tolerated her sitting next to him, practically in the crook of his arm. Gray wasn’t a touchy-feely person and he didn’t really appreciate people invading her personal space without permission.

Now, if they were talking about a fight and Natsu, that was a whole different matter. And if the theory he had gotten to with the cryptic information he had received from the conversation he had been left out of, a fight with Natsu was exactly what he was going to get. He scoffed, gaining the fire-mage’s attention.

“Really, flame-brain? You let your guard down and got turned into a woman? In just how much trouble can you get with that pea-brain of yours?” he taunted, a smirk on his face that he knew would rile the dragon slayer right up. His words had the wanted effect as Natsu stood instantly on the table, resting her elbow on her knee as she glared down on Gray in a way that was just so Natsu that Gray was comforted, in a way he would never admit.

“What did ya say, ice-cone?” the pinkette snarled and Gray rose to copy her position, getting in her face like he always did.

“Ya heard me, hot-pants. If you rarely even think, you shouldn’t be doing it” Gray sneered back and grabbed the scaled scarf at the same time the collar of his shirt was grabbed.

“Ya wanna go, ice-princess?” Natsu growled as their foreheads butted threateningly.

“Bring it, matchstick” Gray growled back right before a fist met his chin in an uppercut, his own fist hitting the pinkette with a right hook. The normality of their argument caused a relieved sigh to go through the guild as everyone relaxed. Questions would come later. The most important part was the dragon slayer was still their Natsu, meeting Gray hit for hit. 

Gray’s back crashed through a table, causing the mages that had been sitting at it to jump away from the fight as Natsu didn’t relent, slamming her fist into his nose, causing it to bleed. It wasn’t hard, but it wasn’t soft either. There was no need to go soft when Gray’s knee hit her in her side just as hard.

Of course, like all their bar-fights, it wasn’t just contained to the two of them. Natsu’s elbow accidentally knocked into Gajeel’s head, who then joined the fray. Natsu ducked down to avoid his punch, but Gray wasn’t as lucky, taking it right to the face. He stumbled back, right into Elfman who stood up with a roar. 

From then on, it was chaos like always. Everyone was fighting everyone without even knowing why. Lucy and Juvia held to the background with Mirajane, standing at the safest place of the guild next to Laxus and the Raijinshuu. At the middle of the brawl were Natsu and Gray.

This time it was Gray straddling the dragon-slayer, his fist pulled back but with a grin on his face. His grin was mirrored by the pinkette, her olive eyes shining with excitement and mirth. Really, what smashing faces did to both their moods. The laugh that left Natsu’s lips, though she was stuck below the ice-mage, instantly lifted Gray’s mood, dissolving his worries.

Even in a changed body, Natsu was still Natsu.

The brawl started the same way it stopped, on a whim. People just forgot what they were fighting about and ended up sitting down to rest and drink a beer, Natsu and Gray included. Well, Gray drank a beer, Natsu wasn’t really someone who drank alcohol often. 

“Honestly, flame-brain. The hell happened to you to have you like this?” Gray asked as they sat at the bar, occupying the bar-stools next to each other, their knees spread wide but barely touching. Natsu sighed as she pushed her hair back at the same time she lowered her head.

“I got careless looking for this old geezer. I didn’t know he was a mage until he changed me. It didn’t even happen straight away, so I ended up chasing him for half a day before passing out. That old coot was fast as fuck” Natsu said and gave the front of her shirt a tug, drawing Gray’s attention lower before the ice-maker mage raised his eyes to meet the dragon slayer’s again. It was best not to give it too much attention.

“Next thing I know, I wake up and I’m like this. Thank fuck Laxus was passing through the same town. I think I might have lost my mind if he hadn’t” the fire-mage said and raised the mug filled with a flaming mocktail to her lips. Gray’s eyes were drawn to the way she swallowed and he kicked himself mentally to look away. That was really going to take some time getting used to.

“Laxus has been searching for the old mage up until now. And it seems like the sabertooth guys found him dead” Natsu said and Gray gave a hum, lowering his own bottle of beer onto the bar-top.

“So, because the transformation isn’t undone, it’s not a spell but something else and Lucy is trying to find out what it is?” Gray guessed after licking his lips to catch the last of the dark root beer taste that was left on them.

“Yup” Natsu confirmed and Gray snorted.

“Well, this way, you’ll be able to sneak into the women’s changing-rooms without a problem” the raven said in an attempted to make a joke. Natsu gave a short laugh as she raised the mug to her lips, her eyes focussed on the wall behind the bar.

“If that’s not an advantage” she said before taking a big draught of her drink. Gray had been around Natsu for long enough to recognize when her smile or her laugh was strained like it was now. He wasn’t sure what he had said wrong, but he wasn’t sure whether he should ask or not.

Natsu was a pro at building up walls. Practically as good as he was. But Gray was unsure whether to push past those walls or not. They were friends, but having open, honest talks was not part of their dynamics. Usually, they didn’t need words to understand each other and if they were pent up with their emotions, they talked with their fists against the one person who would be able to take it and understand. 

Gray looked sideways as Gajeel’s heavy arm fell over Natsu’s shoulders, looking as if she was going to be swallowed up by the dragon slayer. She looked slightly uncomfortable as Gajeel taunted her, teasing her about her appearance, but she never resisted to return the jabs. Soon, others of the guild followed in the teasing as they gathered around her.

Because of the display, Gray could finally understand why the pinkette had taken this long to return to the guild. The teasing would be inevitable and it was not something that felt good, even to if one was extremely comfortable in their body. Gray didn’t want to imagine what it must have felt like to wake up in a woman’s body, knowing he had to face all the teasing from his friends. 

“Hey, BBQ-face. Erza will be back from buying her cake soon. How ‘bout you pick out a mission to go on? If you can handle it, that is” Gray said, his taunt giving the pinkette the needed excuse to escape.

“Shut up, brain-freeze. Of course I can handle it. Who the hell do you think you’re talking to” Natsu retaliated but there was a grateful look in her eyes as they locked with Gray’s when she hopped off the bar-stool to go check the request-board. Gray would lie if he were to deny the way his eyes trailed down the slim body.

Hey, he was a man and he wasn’t the only one. Besides, he even did it when Natsu had been male, so it didn’t really make any difference to him. 

It really didn’t. He had just wrestled with her and he could tell that none of her strength had diminished with her transformation. Her blows still landed hard and her ferocity still rivalled that of a rabid wolf. That what made Natsu, Natsu, hadn’t disappeared yet, which was the only thing that counted for Gray. 

He didn’t care what gender the fire dragon slayer had, as long as she didn’t allow it to get her down and as long as she didn’t use it as an excuse to slack off. As soon as she did, Gray would be there to kick her ass back into gear. He hadn’t before, because he hadn’t known what had been going on. But now that he knew, there was no way he would allow Natsu to act like anything other than her destructive, annoying self.

Erza’s reaction to seeing Natsu was hilarious. Not because of the shock, but because of the lack thereof. It was as if Erza didn’t even notice the fact that Natsu had boobs until she accidentally touched them and blanked for an entire hour. She had actually dropped her cake because of it. 

The return of their local loud-mouth had put the fairy guild in a state of celebration. Natsu had been missed greatly and was now busy trying to entertain everyone while ignoring the continuous teasing. Juvia stood next to Gray, but the ice-mage’s eyes were always draw back to Natsu, who was shaking her fists threateningly at the ones who’s teasing got a bit too sexual.

Somehow, in the middle of the party, things once again turned into a brawl, this time even involving Laxus. How Natsu had done it, Gray had no idea. But he did know it was worth pausing his fight to laugh at Natsu literally clutching to the blonde dragon slayer’s arms while biting in the older male’s fists while Laxus tried to shake her off. It was only when the sole of her sandal accidentally connected with the blonde’s cheek that the master’s grandson actually got involved completely in the brawl.

The master himself was standing on the balustrade of the second floor, crying over the damage he saw his guildhall take, but he was unable to deny that on the inside, he was glad to see that his kids had returned to their rowdy selves. Still, happiness wasn’t going to pay for the repairs, so he was quick to defuse the situation before it could escalate. God knew how it could with fairy tail mages and they really didn’t need another destroyed guild building.

The night ended rowdy with some people sneaking outside together, others leaving early. Levi and Lucy promised Natsu to put their heads together to come up with a solution, which Natsu was clearly grateful for. Wendy gave Natsu a big hug for support before she went back to the dorm with Levy and Juvia. Gray was glad to be freed from the water-mage, even if it was only for a short while.

They had a mission to go on tomorrow, so Gray couldn’t stay too long. He still left after Natsu and Happy, but that didn’t matter much. He was content to have seen his friend healthy and rowdy as always, his worries soothed. Why had he been worried in the first place? There was nothing that could keep Natsu Dragneel down for long. 


	4. Fourth chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer :: I don't own anything but the story!

For one full second, Gray thinks it would have been better if the transformation had kept Natsu down. For one full second, before it was gone again. It wasn’t a thought out of malice. Gray might want to high five her in the face with a table most of the time, but that was because he knew she could take it, would probably retaliate by hitting him with a bench.

Gray would take that bench to the head any minute now, if only to stop his thoughts.

As days passed, Natsu became clearly more comfortable with her body. And the more comfortable she got, the more distracted Gray became. It was weird, in a way, but then again, it wasn’t since he wasn’t the only one distracted. It was hard not to when she had returned to her usual volume of voice.

“Ugh, Gray, when are we going on a mission again?” Natsu asked as she sat herself down at the table across from the ice-mage, a place where she had been sitting quite a lot ever since she had showed up at the guild, transformed into a woman.

“Eager to get away, huh” Gray said as he looked at the fire-mage as she dropped her forehead onto the table with a solid thud.

“You have no idea” she said, seemingly drained of her energy.

“Then why don’t you go sit with Lucy and Levy? It’s bound to be quieter in that corner since everyone leaves them alone. Why sit with me in the middle of the guild?” Gray questioned as he frowned slightly at the pinkette. It wasn’t that he minded the fact that Natsu chose to sit with him, he was just curious. They were friends, but it was also true that they collided in every single way.

“People tend to forget how sharp my sense of hearing is” Natsu said as she lifted her head to rest her chin on the table, her expression surprisingly blank.

“You’re the only one who hasn’t been gossiping about what my condition would mean for my relationship with Lucy” she said and Gray frowned slightly.

“Come on. It can’t be that bad” Gray said and Natsu sighed deeply as she looked over at Wakaba and Macao, causing Gray to look over his shoulder at them.

“Wakaba and Macao are discussing whether or not Lucy would still do _it_ with me in this form” Natsu said and Gray grimaced in distaste. Not only because of the fact that the older duo was snickering, but also the fact that his mind easily supplied that he would.

“You really picked a duo out, you know. Those two are perverts, so what did you expect?” Gray asked and Natsu sighed again, shifting her gaze to someone else, which Gray followed.

“Mirajane is talking to Erza about how sad Lucy must feel now that I’m in this shape and that Erza should take us on a mission so me and Lucy can bond. That it could be the final push Lucy and I need to get together. Erza is agreeing and thinking about which job to take” Natsu said and again, shifter her gaze.

“Lisanna and Evergreen are talking about how much fun it must be for Lucy to be able to dress her boyfriend up. Laki and Max are holding the scores on the bet while they’re arguing about whether or not Lucy still finds me attractive. Cana just told Erza and Mira that it would be easier for Lucy to just give up and either get a new boyfriend or a toy. Erza and Mira obviously don’t agree” the dragon slayer continued and Gray grimaced.

“Gajeel is sulking because Levy won’t spend time with him, mumbling to Wendy how it would be easier for Lucy to just deal with the fact that I’m a woman now and that she’ll have to share her pads from now on” the pinkette said and Gray turned back to her right as Gajeel glared at her.

“Okay, okay I get it. Your hearing is good enough for you to hear what the whole guild is talking about” the ice-mage said and Natsu gave a grim smirk, as if she wasn’t really sure she liked this victory she had over him. Judging by the fact that the smirk fell as soon as it had gotten on her face, was enough proof that Natsu didn’t like the fact that she had proven her point.

“You’re the only one who hasn’t said anything about this body or Lucy yet, so it feels comfortable” she said and Gray didn’t know whether to be flattered or embarrassed. To be honest, he couldn’t really care less, be it the Lucy or the pinkette’s body. Natsu was who she was on the inside and teasing her was something he would do no matter what gender she was. But he wouldn’t do it about her appearances. There were so much other things to use, so why would he be stuck on her gender?

Natsu’s smirk returned, though this time with a teasing glint in her eyes as she crossed her arms onto the table, raising her chin from it. Gray didn’t think he was going to like what was coming next. He never did when she looked like that.

“You know, they have the same rumours about you and Juvia, right?” she said and Gray looked away. Called it. He fucking called it. Don’t get him wrong, he was aware that the guild had rumours about him and Juvia, but he didn’t want to hear them. The fact that Natsu knew about them meant that they were spoken about more than Gray had expected.

“I don’t want to know them” Gray said and Natsu rested her cheek heavily in the palm of her raised hand.

“Oh come on, snowflake. Quarter of them are rumours Juvia herself spread. Don’t you want to know at least a few of them, just to know what you need to look out for when Juvia clings to you next time?” the dragon-slayer asked and there was something sly in her voice that only popped up every once in a while. It never ended well, Gray knew this. But his curiosity was piqued by her words, his gaze turning back to her even if his face didn’t. It was all the answer Natsu needed.

“I’m sure you’re already aware of the bet that’s going on about when you and Juvia will get official?” Natsu asked and Gray grimaced with his arms crossed in front of his chest. It was almost a miracle his shirt was still on, though his coat was laying on the bench next to him.

“Get official, my ass. We don’t have that kind of relationship” the ice-mage grumbled and Natsu just snorted.

“Uhu, try telling the rest of the guild that when Juvia is convinced you are and that she words her stories in such a way that it hints at something more” she said and waved it off with a gesture of her hand, which only ticked the raven off.

“Honestly, did you know everybody is speculating whether or not you have slept with her already or not. Some say you have, others say you haven’t. Erza vastly believes that you haven’t because you’re treasuring Juvia in your own way but are too shy to show it” Natsu said and already, Gray had the feeling that his grimace would become permanent if his expression stayed like that for a little longer.

“Of course, this gave Juvia more hope, since Erza grew up with us and knows us best. Mira on the other hand, believes that you need to have a connection to someone first to see if you’re compatible, before you decide to take it further” the fire-mage said and snickered. That couldn’t be good.

“Macao is convinced you’re a kinky mother-fucker, you know? He’s speculating about ice-play like ice-cubes, ice-cuffs, ice-nipple-clamps. Juvia picked up on the conversation and-” Natsu said and Gray cut her off as he groaned out loud, letting his head hang forward, catching it with his hand.

“I wondered why she was blushing so badly last week” he said and Natsu chuckled. Apparently, she wasn’t done yet.

“Bickslow is convinced that your sex-life will be cold, since you’d freeze Juvia when you cli-” she started by as forcibly shut up by Gray’s hand slapping over her mouth, silencing her. There was a light struggle as thin, practically invisible wisps of smoke rose from each side of Gray’s hand where he was trying to freeze Natsu’s mouth shut, which obviously didn’t work since Natsu’s slow, steady breath against his palm was hot enough to instantly melt whatever ice Gray tried to use.

“Shut up. Just shut up” Gray growled, though there was a slight plea in his voice. Macao and Wakaba’s discussion on both Natsu and Gray’s sex-life had been pretty perverted, but Bickslow’s opinion on Gray and Juvia’s sex-life was just vulgar.

“That’s just… fuck no” Gray said as he sat back down, glancing curtly at the curious looks his sudden action had gained.

“Ah fuck, they better not start a rumour of us” Gray complained and Natsu frowned, tilting her head.

“Why would they do that? We’re both men” she said and Gray raised an eyebrow at her.

“You don’t exactly look like a man right now, flame-brain” he reminded the fire-mage and Natsu frowned.

“But I’m a guy on the inside” she said and Gray was aware of that.

“I know that, but for something like rumours, that doesn’t matter” he said and Natsu grimaced, seeing truth in his words.

“But still, we’re total opposites and do nothing but fight. We’re literally like fire and ice” she said and Gray looked at her, meeting her gaze head-on as a small smirk played on the corner of his lips.

“A guarantee for steamy situations” he said and saw Natsu’s shoulders tense as her blood coloured her cheeks. In reaction to the blush, Gray’s own shoulders tensed, realizing what he had done.

Flirting, that was what he had done. Surely, his words could easily be interpreted like that and they were maybe a little too sexually tinted to be innocent. But it was still flirting none the less. It wasn’t something Gray hadn’t done before, but it was certainly a first towards Natsu.

It wasn’t like ice-mage hadn’t considered what it would be like to flirt with the dragon slayer. But it had been just a mere fleeting thought, probably in a time where he had been intoxicated but not to the point of being drunk out of his mind. Even so, he had never actively thought about doing it or what to say. However, he didn’t feel the need to take his words back even when Natsu’s embarrassment seemed contagious, making him angle his face away slightly.

“And demolished buildings” Natsu said, as if she brushed off the loaded and flustered atmosphere Gray’s careless words had caused.

“People cursing” Gray added, going along with the dragon-slayer’s attempt to break the tension between them.

“Gramps crying” Natsu said and relaxed with each consequence they named.

“Erza getting on our ass” Gray said and Natsu grimaced.

“Going to Porlyusica to get our broken bones fixed” she said and Gray mirrored the grimace.

“Going to the magic council to take responsibility for whatever we destroy” he said and Natsu scoffed.

“We’d probably end up destroying that too” she said and Gray smiled.

“And then Gramps would get scolded again” he said and Natsu chuckled.

“We’d have to take countless jobs in order to repay the destruction we caused and medical bills” she added and Gray hummed.

“Gramps would allow us to go on S-class requests, just because the bill is that high” he said and Natsu shook her head.

“And then we’d end up destroying things there too” she reasoned and Gray snorted.

“People are probably too worried about the destruction we would cause to even think of rumours of us together” he said and sighed deeply as he looked up at the ceiling.

“Haah, honestly. I wasn’t this bad before. My destruction track record definitely upped after joining you, Erza, Lucy and Happy” he said and Natsu narrowed her eyes at him.

“Bullshit. I remember reading once that you froze the major of a town you had a job at. I’m not even going to mention the fact that you destroyed the house of your client before by freezing and shattering it” she said and Gray grimaced at her.

“Hey, that’s why I said that I was _this_ bad before. Not once did I claim not to have caused any destruction. But at least I’m not as bad as you, who destroyed Haragon port, wrecked the magic council court-room, destroy-”

“Okay! Okay, I get it. I’m destructive” Natsu said as she cut the raven off, pouting slightly as she looked away.

“But at least I’m not as bad as Erza or Laxus” she muttered and Gray raised an eyebrow.

“Uh, yeah, you are” he said and Natsu gave him a dry look.

“You freaking destroyed the R system and from the top of my head, I can give you ten more examples of the destruction you caused that is on par with those two” Gray said and Natsu looked like she really wanted to argue that, but was unable to because they both knew it was true.

Instead, she brought up the destruction they had caused together, which they continued to talk about until the subject shifted towards other stuff. Useless stuff mostly, like food, favourite booze, favourite season, the fantasia parade, the grand magic games.

“I swear, it was an accident! I just lost my grip on the damned thing and it tumbled to the ground” Natsu said as she leaned forward onto the table, trying to convince Gray that her dropping the king’s crown at the grand magic ball had been an accident. If one of the stones had broken, it would have been a damned expensive accident.

“That’s why I’m telling you you’re too clumsy, idiot” Gray said as he too was leaning forward with his arms crossed on the table. He was surprised to find that not all of their bickering matches had to end up in a brawl and it would be hard to say he disliked it.

“I’m only clumsy with expensive stuff because I’m trying to be careful” Natsu said and Gray scoffed.

“That makes no sense” he said and Natsu’s hand landed flat on the table.

“It does. When you’re handling something breakable or expensive, you’re extra careful and you try to pay attention to everything and you end up focussing too much so the smallest thing can upset everyt-” Natsu started but was stopped as her name was called out by Lucy who walked up to them with a smile. Instantly, Gray and Natsu leaned back, away from each other.

“What’s up” Natsu asked as Lucy stopped next to him at the bench. She smiled sweetly as she leaned her hand on the back-leaning of the bench.

“Levy and I think we might have found something. Could you come with me for a second?” she asked and Natsu glanced back at Gray before her eyes went back to the blonde mage.

“Yeah, sure” she said as she stood up, pushing herself off on the table. With a last smile at the ice-mage, which was answered by a hum, Natsu followed after Lucy.

“Did you eat today?” Lucy asked and Natsu looked away.

“I forgot” she said before exiting Gray’s hearing range, the soft conversation was more than a bit worrying. Natsu forgetting to eat? Did Lucy say that out loud and so close so Gray would hear? Wait, why was Natsu not eating? Natsu who forgot to eat was the same as Gray who forgot to strip. It only happened when there was something really wrong. But besides the smiles and laughs that were sometimes strained, the pinkette seemed normal. At least around him. Did Gray have to worry?

Lucy glanced back over her shoulder, her eyes meeting Gray’s with a strange look in them before the ice-mage averted his gaze. There was something in the blonde’s eyes that Gray found hard to look at without even being to put his finger on what the emotion was. It made him feel uneasy, to be on the receiving end of that stare. As if he was doing something wrong without even knowing what he was doing.

Had it been the flirting from before? No, that was rather impossible. Nobody but dragon slayers would have been able to hear them, if Gray counted on the idea that all dragon slayers have the same hearing range. Maybe it had been the way Natsu had blushed?

That had really caught Gray off guard. He was aware that Natsu wasn’t as innocent as people made him out to be, but the reaction had been innocent. Inexperienced in being on the receiving end of flirting. The ice-mage had to admit, but only to himself, that it had been an interesting reaction.

Should he find it interesting? Probably not. But then again, he wasn’t supposed to be looking at Natsu’s ass either, and he had done that quite a lot before. But didn’t that just mean that Gray was interested in the dragon slayer?

Gray wasn’t sure. It was possible, sure. As he never denied before, Natsu was hot. But Gray hadn’t really thought about Natsu in that way. Sure, he had imagined Natsu in a situation like that once before, when he was younger and getting used to his sexuality. But he’d had the same with Laxus, Freed, Bickslow, Mirajane, Erza and at one point, even Cana.

But those thoughts had always been fleeting. They were family, even though they weren’t related by blood. It still felt weird to look at them in that way. However, if he had to be honest, it was possible that he was considering Natsu in that way.

The dragon slayer wasn’t exactly Gray’s type, but she didn’t need to be. Not when Gray didn’t really have much trouble thinking of Natsu in his bed. And god, he really shouldn’t be thinking about this at the guild, of all places. Juvia was approaching him and Gray felt a little off, looking at the beer bottle in his hand.

With a sigh, he stood up, causing Juvia to startle. He tipped the last of his bottle back before stepping out from between the bench and the table. Usually, he would bring his bottle back to the bar, but this time he just left it on the table. He didn’t feel like passing Natsu and Lucy’s table.

“Gray-sama?” Juvia asked curious as the ice-mage pushed his hands into his pockets.

“Sorry. I’m drunk. I’m going home for today” he said, maybe a bit to curt, but he got his message across.

“Oh, okay. Do you wish Juvia to walk you home, so you do not get injured?” the water-mage asked as she held her hand lightly fisted against her chest, one of her nervous gestures.

“No, I’m fine” Gray said and Juvia’s head lowered dejected. As much as Gray disliked her pushy attitude, he didn’t like to see her down either.

“Thanks for the offer, tho” he said as he looked slightly over his shoulder, watching her lift her head with a smile.

“Please get home safely” she said and Gray gave a nod before turning to walk away. The ice-make mage felt weird leaving the bluenette behind the way he had. Did the way he just comforted her after rejecting her give her hope? If so, that hadn’t really been Gray’s intention at all.

He really did respect Juvia as a mage and as a nakama, but anything beyond that would likely be impossible. The only thing he could see her doing was soak his bed from the second they went a little further than holding hands. While Juvia was attractive as a woman, Gray couldn’t see himself together with her. If it was Natsu soaking his sheets, however.

Gray sighed again. Maybe he really shouldn’t have tried imagining himself with Natsu. Maybe he should have just kept that door closed. It was a bit of a revelation he could miss like a tooth-ache, since opening that door of possibilities made it rather difficult to think of something else.

Gray looked up at the dark sky as he walked through the streets of Magnolia town towards his apartment. What better way and time to get to a few conclusions while he was outside. He could even use the excuse of being drunk if he thought about it later, in the morning.

He wasn’t really drunk, though. But he also didn’t need to be to find Natsu attractive. Because he did, no matter which gender she was. The male Natsu had been buff, made out of hard trained muscle, iron strength and pure stubbornness. His lightly tanned skin was with his skin lithered with small scars that spoke of hard battles fought. While the rough patches of scars might turn off other people, to Gray, it made the pinkette even more attractive.

Which was why he was glad to see that even in the dragon slayer’s female body, she had maintained her scars, the one on her hip shifting into view every once in a while when her long top allowed it to. And while her body was over-all smaller, it certainly didn’t lack any strength. Her muscles were less outspoken, but there without a doubt. Gray’s knuckles had cracked on them when he had gone to punch her stomach during a bar fight.

From just the way he looked at her, Gray was unable to deny the fact that he felt attracted to Natsu. Not only to her strength, but also her looks. He loathed to admit that he found her smile cute, at least the one that didn’t have any sly tilt to it, though Gray didn’t mind it as long as it wasn’t directed at him.

Based on attraction of the flesh, Gray could tell he would be okay with taking Natsu to bed as long as the dragon slayer was okay with it. That was the real problem. As Natsu had said before, she might look like a woman, but she was still very much a man on the inside. Gray was bi, so he didn’t have a problem with either genders. But he wasn’t sure about Natsu.

The dragon slayer had always show interest in women only, for as far as Gray could remember. But then again, she had reacted to his flirting. And if one wasn’t considering the other gender, they wouldn’t see it as flirting. Did that mean Natsu liked men? Or swung both ways, like Gray did? Or maybe it was because of the female hormones in her body that she wasn’t used to.

Gray was inclined to drop the third option, simply for the reason that ‘steamy’ could also be taken as either literally, at least with them, or as something non-sexual in a way that spoke of fights. But the blush had been clear. A sign that Natsu had taken it the way Gray had intended it to be taken.

He hadn’t done it with conscious thought, since it had slipped past his guard before he could mull over the words. But he didn’t regret saying them. Especially not when it had gained the reaction he had gotten. The blush had been pretty much worth it, since Natsu didn’t blush often. It was a rather funny sight when his cheeks matched his hair.

Gray chuckled to himself, smiling at the ground. It was only when he heard whispers around him that he snapped out of it. Great, now he had looked like a creep while thinking about Natsu. Well, it was too late to close that door now. He wanted to find out whether his speculations about Natsu’s sexuality were right. And if with that came the fact that he had been able to blow off some pent up frustration, he could only take it as a bonus.

Right after he picked up his clothes, that was. Fuck, when had he even taken them off? And he was almost at his apartment too!

He had been so close to getting home without stripping once on the way. The only reason he had noticed in the first place, was because he had been wearing his favourite shirt. Maybe he should wear it more often, to prevent himself from stripping? Or just the opposite, to see if his naked state had any effect on the dragon slayer? But that wouldn’t really give him a clear answer though, but it would be a start. Besides, he wouldn’t mind getting checked out by Natsu.

Okay, if those thoughts were going to continue escalating, he might really want to have kept that door closed. Had he had some affection for Natsu that he had unconsciously suppressed and now it came flowing back? Ugh, Gray didn’t even want to think about it.


	5. Fifth chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer :: I don't own anything but the story!

The past week could have gone a bit better, Natsu begrudgingly had to admit. It could have gone way better, but there was no helping it. Natsu hadn’t been able to stop herself the way she had. So instead, she had locked herself up in her house without taking visits from anyone.

Never again was she making fun of women’s periods. Those times were worse than hell on earth. Natsu would rather go through the whole second origin release all over again if it meant that she could skip that dreaded week, which she was going to get every month until she turned back.

It had literally felt as if her own body had been rejecting her. Maybe she was over-dramatizing it, but honestly, what do you expect? She was a man on the inside and it had felt like her body was attacking her. Not only because of the cramps, which made her walk bend forward slightly whenever they would hit their highest peak.

Her back had been continuously aching to the point she couldn’t stop rolling around in her bed. And she slept in a hammock, so it wasn’t really a wonder that she had taken the couch in the middle of the second night. But then she wasn’t even mentioning the fact that she had to continuously change the pads, which were pretty expensive, on top of the pants she had to burn because of the blood that had soaked into it.

And then she wasn’t even touching the subject of the feeling that she was peeing without actually having to go. Whether she stood still or was moving, she could actually feel the blood flowing from her. Be it liquid or actual clots, it was disgusting and it had almost made her puke when she had felt it the first time and realized what it was.

She was a man and experiencing a period. But even so, that was not an excuse to snap at her guild-mates. She honestly took back whatever joke she ever made about PMSing, because she understood. When someone went through something like a period, it didn’t surprise her that they would be touchy. They just didn’t want to deal with all the comments on top of all the rest.

Natsu had been like that too, and her temper was volcanic at its worst. It really shouldn’t have been that much of a surprise that Natsu had decked Gajeel full force when he had pointed out she smelled the same way Levy did during her period. Natsu did feel guilty for the support beam she had punched the iron dragon slayer through, but she would do the same if it happened again. Likely wouldn’t, since Levy would no doubt scold Gajeel.

Still, after the careless and blunt comment, Natus had decided it would be best for her to stay at home, lest she burned down the guild. She probably would have if someone had joked about her PMSing.

But now, her period was over and she was making her way to the guild. She would need to apologize for her behaviour to Makarov first, but because it was early, there was still barely anyone at the guild. That made it better for Natsu, who still felt extremely off because of the whole period thing. Makarov waved it off, telling he understood her. It wasn’t something women liked to go through, and he couldn’t even imagine what it must feel like to have it as a man. He did make her promise to not destroy the guild next time.

As Natsu left the office of the old man, she heaved a deep sigh. For once, she was hungry. Actually hungry. Not really that much of a surprise, since she hadn’t been able to force herself to eat more than a few tiny bites of food in the past week, too disgusted with herself. She was aware that she had been eating very badly ever since her transformation, but the past week had been the worst of it all.

As she walked down the stairs of the second floor, a mop of black hair caught her eye, tingles spreading in her lower abdomen as her shoulders tensed with a deep breath. Pushing the nervous turning of her stomach away, Natsu made her way over to the table before sitting down across from Gray, dropping her head onto the table with a thud.

“Good morning to you too, sunshine” Gray said sarcastic but amused, which was answered by a groan.

“Are you feeling better?” the ice-mage asked and Natsu lifted her head to rest her chin on the table.

“No” she said and with a sigh, rose back into a decent sitting position, slouching slightly as she spread her knees wide.

“I’m never ever making period jokes again” she said and Gray gave a sympathetic smile. He had been there when she had broken Gajeel’s nose and had seen the whole thing.

“I’m sure Erza would love to hear that” Gray said and Natsu grunted.

“Talking about her, where is she? And Lucy?” she asked as she looked around the guild. Erza was always at the guild early, whenever she wasn’t on a job, and lately, so was Lucy. It was a switch from the normality Natsu had gotten used to, so she was slightly confused.

“They went on a mission with Wendy since Lucy and Wendy’s rent is coming up” Gray informed and Natsu sighed. She had wanted to suggest going on a request, but it looked like she was too late.

“Hmm? If they’re on a request, then why are you still here? Don’t you usually go with them?” she asked and Gray scoffed.

“Yeah, but they were gone before I arrived. Guess they wanted to take an all girl’s mission” he said and looked over to the request board as Natsu dropped her forehead onto the table again.

“As far as I can see, there are some interesting jobs we could go on” Gray said and the pinkette perked up.

“Huh?” she breathed stupidly and Gray turned his attention back to her.

“What? You want to sit here and do nothing? I figured you’d want to go out there and get rid of the pent up irritation you’ve been bottling up the past week” Gray said and Natsu blinked as she sat straighter.

“Well, yeah, that was my plan, but… I didn’t think you’d suggest it. Are you saying just the two of us going?” she asked unsure with her stomach once again in knots. Gray shrugged as he uncrossed his arms to rest them onto the table.

“Why not? You’re not up for it?” he asked and Natsu shook her head.

“No, that’s not it! Just… we never went on a mission with just the two of us” she said and once again, her stomach jumped at those words. Just the two of us. Honestly, why did her mind make it sound like it was so much more than it actually was? Why did her heart have to stutter because of it?

“I bet Erza would be so proud when she hears it” Gray said with a tilt of his lips that should not be that attractive. And Natsu really needed to stop thinking like that. Yeah, she was a woman on the outside, but on the inside, she was still very much a man. Gray would be disgusted if he knew Natsu had been having those kinds of thoughts about him.

“Yeah, sure. Let’s go on a mission” Natsu said, a hint in her voice that might be eagerness, but overshadowed by her stomach grumbling angry, much to her embarrassment. With a groan, Natsu dropped her head, fully expecting Gray to make fun of her.

“After we ate. I’m fucking starving” Gray said and looked towards the bar to signal Mira for breakfast, ignoring the way Natsu stared surprised at him. The dragon slayer was unsure if the ice-mage was really as hungry as he said or if he was just being considerate, but all those suspicions flew away from two breakfast menus were placed on the table.

“Geez, calm down, would you. You’re eating like a starving pig. When was the last time you had a decent meal?” Gray said with a put off grimace at the way the pinkette way eating.

“A decent meal?” she asked and her eyes turned upwards to the ceiling as she thought back. Did a couple spoons of fruit salad count? Natsu doubted it.

“Forget it. If you have to think about it, it’s been too long” Gray said and frowned at her.

“Why haven’t you been eating? That’s not like you” he said and Natsu grimaced.

“This body is not like me. I’m just not that hungry, but my body is, so I guess it’s something mentally” she said honestly and Gray gave a hum.

“I can understand that. But if you slack off, I’ll become an S-class wizard before you do. Though you slacking off or not won’t change that outcome” he said, putting enough taunt in his voice to change the subject, riling Natsu up into eating her full plate empty when she had been planning to only eat half of it.

“Hah, finished before you” Natsu said smugly as she placed her now empty plate down onto the table with a bang that she had to be careful about to not break the plate. Gray gave her a pleased little smile that had blood flood Natsu’s cheeks. Whether it was because of the smile itself or because the smile was because she had fallen for his trick, it didn’t change the fact that Natsu averted her eyes, maybe a little too bashfully.

“Asshole” she muttered and Gray merely stood up. Natsu ducked her head as Gray returned both plates before moving on to the request board. Natsu didn’t know why Gray was being so thoughtful, but she couldn’t say she minded it. It was different from their usual interactions, but it was nice to know that they were able to get along like this too. But she could really do without the nervous tingles it brought to her stomach.

“Oi, Natsu!” Gray called out and Natsu’s head shot up to where he was standing in front of the request board with Mirajane in front of him who smiled at the pinkette. The dragon slayer stood up from the table to make her way over to them, seeing the paper Gray was holding on to.

“What’s up?” she asked as she stepped up to the duo, looking from Mirajane to Gray who held out the mission request.

“The master told us to go on this one” Gray said and Natsu frowned as she accepted the paper to look it over. It wasn’t often Master suggested mages to go on a job, unless they were specifically requested. And the usual requests Natsu and Gray got were either playing a heating and airco system, or posing for either pictures or art.

“Taking down a dark guild? Isn’t that normally S-class?” Natsu asked as she read the request.

“Technically, it is. But since the magic council didn’t classify it as such, it’s not. Master told me no to hang it up because it’s dangerous and Erza has already left on another mission. But then I saw Gray looking at the board and Master said to give it to you two” Mirajane explained and Natsu frowned.

“Why? I mean, don’t get me wrong, this is practically S-class level, but why not classify it as such? Seems fishy” she said and Gray agreed.

“True, it doesn’t seem logic. The magic council is so careful with classifying the requests and even then, the guild master can decide to put a request they deem too dangerous on the S-calls board. If Gramps really didn’t want to put it on the request board, why not put on it on the one with all the other S-classes?” the ice-mage asked and Mirajane gave a troubled smile.

“This guild has been terrorizing a town where one of the council member’s daughter lives and it’s a poor town. They can’t afford the pay needed to put in an S-class request, so it seems. And because it’s not classified as one, you two are able to go. I’m sure you two will be able to complete this request/ Master thinks the same way, otherwise he wouldn’t have suggested you two to go, though you can always refuse” she explained and Natsu and Gray shared a look.

“Mah, it’s a request from Gramps” Gray said and Natsu grinned widely.

“We’ll beat this dark guild up no problem. It’s good timing, since I need to blow off some steam” she said and Mirajane smiled with a chuckle. Did she really expect Natsu and Gray to turn down a mission after being told that it was practically S-class and entrusted to them by the master himself, who still hadn’t forgotten the fact that Natsu had stolen a S-class mission before? Though Natsu really could do without the train.

“Want me to knock you out?” Gray asked, a little too eager as he placed produced an ice-hammer a little larger than the size of his arm. Natsu moaned with her hand in front of her mouth, the other wrapped around her waist. His suggestion was so tempting, she had to think about it for a second, looking at the hammer before shaking her head slightly as not to aggravate her nausea. She was not getting knocked out by anyone other than Erza.

Natsu wanted to lie down on the bench she was sitting on in the hope of soothing her nausea, but she knew from experience that it would only make it worse. However, she did lie down, on the ground, when they reached the station they needed. Gray rolled with his eyes but said nothing as he waited for Natsu to collect herself again.

“Come on, flame brain” Gray said as he held out his hand towards the dragon slayer, waiting for her to take it so he could pull her up to her feet. His touch lingered longer than a friendly touch and definitely longer than what was usual between them outside a fight or support after a fight.

Natsu squashed the tingles in her stomach that the physical contact caused as she followed the ice-mage towards the village, knocked at the Major’s door that stood at the entrance of the village. The elderly man was incredibly happy to see the two mages and instantly apologized wrongly classified request, something both Gray and Natsu waved off, receiving the needed information before they went on their way to find the dark guild’s hide-out in the forest.

“But really, for a poor town, it really is poor isn’t it?” Natsu said as she looked around at the grim atmosphere that laid over the village like a thick blanket. Gray glanced back as her before letting his eyes roam around the almost empty streets, save for some civilians sitting at the side of the road. Homeless, no doubt.

“You think the dark guild is responsible for the state of the village?” Gray guessed and Natsu shrugged.

“It would make sense. I mean, the guild’s station is located right next to the traveling merchant’s routes. They only need to rob a few of those before rumours start to spread and nobody wants to risk traveling to this place anymore because of the threat the name ‘dark guild’ holds” she said and Gray looked grimly.

“True. Not to mention that in the first place, this village isn’t exactly well known, so trades are really difficult too once everyone believes this area to be too dangerous” he said and Natsu looked at him.

“If that is true, that must mean that their hide-out is full of the stuff that belongs to the village, right?” she said and Gray caught onto her thoughts.

“That’s… actually pretty smart, for you” the ice-mage said and Natsu’s eyebrow twitched, wanting nothing more than to go in on the raven’s taunts. But last time that had happened, they had fought for three days. She didn’t exactly needed a repeat of that before their mission was actually finished.

“So, should be just storm in or make a plan?” Natsu asked instead and Gray sighed.

“And here I thought you’d gotten smarter. You can’t just storm into a dark guild without knowing what you’re up against, idiot” he said and Natsu huffed.

“Sure we can. We took out naked mummy in one go, right” she said and Gray looked at her.

“True, but they were at the bottom when it comes to the strength of dark guilds. Do you really never listen to what Mirajane or Erza tell you? Are you really that much of an idiot?” he said, though a bit smug in a way that was sure to taunt the pinkette.

“I’m not! I know that there is a difference in strengths even with dark guilds” she said and the fact that the explanation just went over her head was not mentioned. Though it didn’t need to be, judging by Gray’s smirk. As soon as someone started using big words or long explanations with lots of different names, Natsu just had trouble keeping up and it wasn’t something she could help.

“This guild is not as strong as Grimoire heart, but it’s still stronger than naked mummy. It’ll be a challenge, so we need more information about their magic before we storm in” Gray said and huffed amused at the pinkette.

“Don’t worry. If it looks like you’re going to lose your patients and storm inside, I’ll hold you down” he said and Natsu looked at him with a raised eyebrow, mirroring his challenging smirk.

“Oho? You think you can? How do you plan on doing that?” she taunted and Gray’s smirk remained on his face, a teasing glint entering his dark eyes.

“I can think of a few ways” he said and there was something in his voice that made Natsu think of a few things too, though none of them were appropriate to think about on a dangerous mission. So instead, the pinkette gave both her thoughts and the ice-mage a shove.

“Don’t be such a pervert, Gray” the fire-mage said and Gray shoved his hands in his pockets as now he was the one to stay step behind the dragon slayer.

“Hey, who said something about anything perverted? I was thinking of freezing your feet to the ground” he said and Natsu grimaced as her cheeks heated up, this time in mortification. Really, what a way to reveal that she was having those kind of thoughts. However, as Natsu glanced back, she didn’t pick up any signs that the implication was putting Gray off.

“Where you expecting something else maybe?” Gray asked with a smirk and Natsu tried to keep her face as annoyed as possible.

“That you’d be wearing clothes” she said, pointing out his practically undressed state, wearing only his boxer-shorts. Gray placed a hand on his scarred hip as he looked over his shoulder, his hand-placement drawing the attention down to his defined rock-hard abs.

“Must have lost them a while ago” Gray said and Natsu swallowed thickly as she forced herself to look away, trailing her eyes back up to the ice-mage’s face, though maybe a little slower. More like too slow, seeing as how Gray raised an eyebrow at her when she met his gaze.

“But it doesn’t look like you mind and I’ve long learned not to keep anything important in my pants. I’ve got spare clothing in my bag back at the major’s house anyway” he said and passed the embarrassed pinkette again. The dragon slayer decided to ignore the first part of his sentence, knowing that if she reacted she would confirm it, no matter what.

“Your clothes will be stolen” Natsu warned as she stepped up next to the ice-mage so it would be harder to give in to temptation and take another glance.

“Meh, ‘s fine. I’ve had those pants for a while and I didn’t like the shirt anyway. Whoever picked them up will do something better with it than me” Gray said and Natsu scoffed, attempting to steer the conversation onto safe territory that wouldn’t embarrass her.

“Yeah, like wearing them _and_ keeping them on. Honestly, how you’re never arrest for indecent exposure is beyond me” she said and Gray huffed.

“I think the magic council has more severe reasons to arrest fairy tail mages. Besides, it’s much more impressive that you even know the words ‘indecent exposure’. Do I need to call weekly sorcerer to have it published?” the ice-mage and Natsu lifted her knee into the raven’s thigh.

“Don’t make me sound like I’m that much of an idiot” she said and Gray gave her a shove with his elbow. Of course, Natsu returned the shove, causing Gray to attempt to catch her ankle with his to trip her. It was only when the forest came in view that the two mages became serious.

Natsu became a bit too serious and Gray ended up having to hold her back for at least three times.Though as soon as the fight begun, all those thoughts flew from her mind. Their enemies, as predicted, were strong. Natsu could easily admit that they were and that he had found wizards on their level at the grand magic games and on missions, some even weaker than them. But that didn’t stop her from burning everything down. And with everything, she meant everything. It was only after the fires had died out, that he realized she had burned the entire forest down.

It was to Gray’s quick thinking and devil slayer’s ice, that the stolen goods were still safe and untouched by the dragon slayer’s flames. The fairy tail duo decided to stay another day to help rebuild whatever damage a few houses had taken and create a road for traders where the forest had been. So, in a way, the damage they had done, had been repaid.

“Honestly, Natsu, I know you were pent up and all, but burning down the forest after destroying the hide-out?” Gray said as they rushed to catch their train, the only train of the day that would go back to Magnolia.

“I get the hide-out, I’m partly responsible for that. But the forest? Really? Was it necessary?” the ice-mage said and Natsu glared at his back.

“No, but if you continue like this, plastic surgery for your face will be” the dragon slayer snapped at her companion and Gray smirked as he looked over his shoulder.

“Oooh, scary. Whatcha gonna do? Burn me down too?” the ice-mage taunted and Natsu gritted her teeth.

“That was my first thought, but I might think of something else, just to piss you off” she said and Gray flopped down on the bench in one of the train cabins, dropping his bag into the seat in front of him.

“I’ll look forward to what you come up with then” the raven said with a smirk and Natsu huffed, though her good mood was short-lived as the train lurched, throwing her off her balance.

“Watch it!” Gray called as his hands shot out, his arm curling around the pinkette’s waist to keep her up. Not really with much success. Since the train was old, it had a rocky start, sending her tumbling into the raven’s lap as if it was one of Lucy’s shitty romans. Not to mention fucking cliché.

Natsu felt her cheeks heat up as she stared wide-eyed at the floor in between the two benches. Opposite to his magic, Gray’s arms around her waist were burning through the fabric of her top, his bare skin against her lower abdomen where the top split. In that second, Natsu understood why Juvia would always cling to Gray’s arms. Her imagination from before paled in comparison of the reality of those muscled arms holding her.

Her back was pressed up against the raven’s chest, his body-heat warming her back through the fabric that separated them. Natsu was sure Gray would be able to hear her heartbeat from this close as it hammered away against her rib-cage, threatening to jump out of her throat if she didn’t move out of his lap right this second. She was overly aware of the position they were in and thanked the stars that the cabin was empty besides them.

“F-fuck! I-I’m sorry” Natsu stuttered as she shuffled into the seat next to the raven, knowing that if she sat opposite to him, her nausea would be worse since she would be going against the direction they were going in. Her eyes were locked at the scenery through the window as Gray’s arms left her waist. She violently shoved away the disappointment.

“No, it’s fine” Gray said, though even he seemed to be taken off guard yet Natsu couldn’t look at him to confirm it. She was only able to look at him when he managed to draw her into a bickering match, though that really didn’t help. It also didn’t help that whenever their eyes met, Natsu would look away. What helped even less was the way she blushed and pulled her hand back whenever it happened to touch Gray’s.


	6. Sixth chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer :: I don't own anything but the story.

They had been flirting, hadn’t they? Or had Natsu only misinterpreted it wrong? Natsu wasn’t sure and she wasn’t going to ask either. But it was a fact that she had gotten closer to Gray, there was no doubt about that. There was quite some proof of that.

Exhibit A, they were currently sitting next to each other. Not across from each other like they usually did when they sat at the same table, but actually next to each other. Gray’s knee was resting against Natsu’s where both their knees were spread. Before, their arms had been brushing from shoulder to elbow. But currently, Gray’s arm was laying on the back-leaning of the bench behind Natsu’s back. They weren’t exactly touching, but that was only until Natsu decided that it was okay to relax her spine.

Exhibit B, they spend a lot more time together. Most of the time, they would be at the guild and sit down together to either talk, brawl or just relax with a card game. Natsu found herself waking up early and exited to go to the guild. She tried to push it away, but her heart always gave a little leap whenever she saw Gray already sitting either at the bar or at an empty table. 

Exhibit C, Gray actually smiled at her. It wasn’t that unusual, but most of the time, it was a smug smirk that drew them into a fight. However, lately, the smiles had all been either teasing or a genuine tilt of his lips. Not to mention that it was a lot more. Whenever he would notice Natsu looking at him or whenever they were talking in a way that was more teasing than bickering.

Exhibit D, thinking back at B and c, it was obvious that they talked a lot more. Sometimes, they bickered, other times they would talk about serious subjects. There were also less serious subjects like trains and the weather. And obviously between them, there was a lot of teasing going on. They couldn’t go a day without trying to rile the other up. It happened unconsciously.

But with everything connected, wasn’t that called flirting? Not that Natsu minded, it was just… new. She was new to this, even if she wasn’t exactly innocent in her thoughts. It was different to be on the receiving end of such attention, and it made her nervous to receive it from Gray. But as said previously, she didn’t mind it. If she did, she wouldn’t be leaning back into his arm.

The guild was in high spirits because of a certain announcement made by Evergreen and Elfman. Evergreen only had to wiggle her hand once in front of the guild for everyone to understand. Of course an engagement was going to put everyone in good spirits. Not to mention that the alcohol helped too. Natsu was drinking too, joining the rest of the guild as they raised their drinks in another toast.

“Bunch of idiots. How many toasts do they plan on making?” Gray said amused, knowing Natsu could hear him just fine despite the volume that filled the guild-hall.

“Oh don’t be a grumpy pants and enjoy the night, Gray” Natsu said as she looked back at the raven who was already staring at her.

“Won’t be too hard to do” he said without taking his gaze away from the dragon slayer, causing Natsu to avert her eyes with a huff. Instead of answering in a way that would no doubt embarrass her, she took a swig of her beer bottle, finding it empty.

“Natsu, your face is red. Maybe you should stop drinking for a bit” the ice-mage said with a smirk on his lips and Natsu glared at him, silently telling him it as his fault that she was blushing, as if he didn’t already know that. Natsu huffed at his smugness, snatching the bottle from his hand that rested on the table. Gray raised an eyebrow at her as she stuck her tongue out at him before placing the bottle between her lips. 

The ice mage chuckled when nothing landed in Natsu’s mouth, much to her confusion. Until the realised Gray had frozen the contents. She sent him a withering glare as she carefully melted the inside. For someone who could eat fire for breakfast, lunch, dinner and midnight snack, the dragon slayer didn’t really like the taste of warm beer. 

Gray gave her arm a light jab, a subtle warning before he took back his bottle to empty it. Natsu couldn’t help but glance at the rim of the bottle where her own lips had been just seconds before, now replaced by Gray’s. She looked away again before the ice-mage or anyone else could notice, watching him put the empty bottle on Kinana’s tray as she passed around to pick them up. 

When Mirajane passed around with the full mugs and bottles, Natsu stood up, reaching forward over the table. As she placed her knee over Gray’s thighs, the ice-mage tensed them up to keep the pinkette as steady as possible, grabbing the back of her shirt to keep her from faceplanting into the table with her hands full with two mugs.

“Before Cana drinks everything” Natsu said as she placed one of the mugs down in front of the ice-mage, keeping the other to herself. Gray gave the pinkette’s back a small pat as thanks before his arm returned to its previous position where it touched her back without resting against it. When they were addressed by others around them, both Natsu and Gray directed their attention away from the bubble they had unknowingly created.

Gray was talking to Macao while Natsu was bickering with Gajeel who was holding Levy on his lap, clearly deprived off his girlfriend because she had been doing nothing but help Lucy find a solution for Natsu’s problem. The iron dragon slayer never failed to remind Natsu of it, though not entirely malicious, just sulking.

A poke in her arm brought her attention back to Gray, who leaned closer towards her ear. Surely, he was aware that he didn’t need to, but he got closer none the less. Close enough for Natsu to feel his breath tingle the shell of her ear.

“I’m going for a piss. Watch my beer. I think Bickslow got his hands on some laxatives” Gray said and Natsu forced herself not to shiver. She was overly aware of the hairs in her neck rising up, feeling the raven’s breath tingle her neck as he pulled away slightly. Natsu gave a hum but still nodded her head, hoping he would move away soon before she couldn’t blame her blush on the alcohol anymore. 

A few people glanced towards them when Gray stood up and stepped over the back-leaning as Natsu busied herself with taking a sip of her mug. It didn’t take long before Natsu noticed someone approaching her, looking up to see Lucy walking up to her. Natsu had noticed Lucy staring their way for better part of the evening, but she hadn’t come closer until now. Almost as if she had been waiting for Gray to leave. It made Natsu feel weird.

“Hey Luce” Natsu said as Lucy leaned on the back-leaning of the bench next to Natsu. She was a little bit to close, in the dragon slayer’s opinion, which was ridiculous since Gray had been just as close.

“Hey, Natsu” she greeted back with a cheery smile that made Natsu feel a little uneasy. 

“Do you think we can go talk somewhere? Somewhere where it’s less rowdy?” she asked with a pointed look at where Elfman and Laxus were holding an arm-wrestling match a few tables down, cheered on by the whole guild. Natsu wanted to join them, even challenge them, but it seemed like Lucy had seen it in her eyes.

“Natsu?” she repeated the dragon slayers name to get her attention back, a furrow in her brow as Natsu looked back at her.

“Sorry, can we do it tomorrow?” Natsu asked and Lucy flinched back slightly, looking taken aback at the pinkette.

“But it’s really important. It’s about your situation” she said and Natsu looked at her.

“I know, but do we really have to do it today? We’re celebrating something and I don’t want to ruin it by thinking about my situation” she said and Lucy averted her eyes as her smile fell.

“You don’t want to ruin what exactly” she muttered, but Natsu’s hearing allowed her to pick up on it. 

“The mood, of course. What else?” Natsu asked confused and Lucy turned her gaze at the dragon slayer.

“Which one” she said, not even sounding like a question.

“What are you talking about? Luce, you’re making no sense right now” Natsu said and Lucy narrowed her eyes.

“You and Gray have been getting along rather well lately” she said and Natsu who was already used to supressing his blushes when it wasn’t in front of Gray, frowned at the blonde.

“We’re friends. What’s wrong with that?” she asked and Lucy scoffed.

“Do you have to be that close?” she asked, her voice rising a little with her temper.

“What do you mean? I’m just as close to you” Natsu said and Lucy grimaced bitterly.

“But he’s not the one helping you with this situation” she said and Natsu frowned at her.

“He is. Just not in the same way as you” she said and sighed as she shook her head. She didn’t want to get into this now. The subject always made her feel bad and she didn’t want that on the day of an engagement celebration.

“Let’s just stop talking about this for now. I’ll come to the guild early tomorrow and we’ll talk then, okay?” Natsu asked but Lucy didn’t seem to have any intention of letting go.

“Even if you come to the guild early, you’re only sitting with Gray, doing nothing useful. It’s like you’re actually enjoying this” Lucy said and Natsu looked affronted.

“Excuse me?” she asked and Lucy’s volume rose again, gaining the attention of the other guild members.

“I’m sitting here every morning to evening, with my nose in the books and you’re just hanging out with Gray and the others without doing anything” she said and Natsu gave her a sharp look.

“So you imply that I like being this way?” she asked and Lucy scoffed sarcastically as she stood straight.

“Well you certainly act like it, constantly laughing and horsing around as if nothing changed. Did you forget the way I found you when you were too scared to come to the guild?!” Lucy asked, her words and voice shutting the others up.

“Lucy” Levy started as she tried to stand up from Gajeel’s lap.

“No, Levy. It’s not fair. I’m working my ass off to get him to change back to his original gender because of how miserable he was at the beginning and now he’s just laughing around as if he doesn’t care about anything” Lucy said and Natsu’s eyebrow twitched.

“Lucy, we’re going outside” she said as she moved to stand up.

“Why? You didn’t want to talk to me in the first place, right?! Too busy with enjoying the attention you get in this body to want to change it” Lucy said and Natsu’s fist slammed onto the table, barely holding herself back from sailing through it.

“That’s enough!” she bellowed before glaring over her shoulder at Lucy as she stood up.

“We’re going outside. You want to talk, fine. But not here, because this subject will ruin my fucking mood and we were supposed to be celebrating Elfman and Evergreen’s engagement, not having a little round of pity talk about me. You wanted to fucking talk, so we’re going outside, even if I have to drag you outside by your hair” Natsu growled as she turned around to step over the bench. Lucy flinched away from her as she passed the blonde.

“I’ll warn you once, Lucy. Don’t make me do it, because I will use your hair” Natsu warned and Lucy was quick to follow her outside the back off the guild, past Gray who raised an inquiring eyebrow at them while behind them, Gajeel was being a smart-ass by commenting that not one fairy tail party was complete without a bit of drama. For once, Natsu was grateful for it, because it did somewhat restore the mood she and Lucy had ruined. 

Outside the back, Natsu leaned against the wall, crossing her arms in front of her chest as Lucy stopped next to her. Natsu expected some of the guild members to try and listen in on them. It would hopefully be too loud inside for either Wendy, Gajeel or Laxus to listen in on the conversation they were about to have. But then there was also Warren and Bickslow. 

“So? Not going to say anything?” Natsu sneered as she looked sideways at the blonde whose anger had seemed to have been blown away with the wind.

“I- I didn’t mean to ruin the mood” Lucy started and flinched when Natsu scoffed bitterly.

“Sure you did. If you didn’t, you wouldn’t have been so insistent on talking. You’ve already ruined it, so talk. What was so fucking important for you to ruin my mood?” the dragon slayer said and realised that maybe she was being a bit too cruel, but she couldn’t care less. She had been doing better. Finally. And then Lucy decided to ruin it.

“I- I just wanted to ask if you wanted to come to the library with me tomorrow. I found a potion that might turn you back, but I need to research further” Lucy said and Natsu closed her eyes, trying not to lash out. That was the last thing she needed to do at this point.

“You wanted me to come to the library with you? The guild library?” she asked and opened her eyes to see Lucy nod.

“I was going to be at the guild either way. You couldn’t have just asked me tomorrow? You had to do it now? When we’re celebrating that Evergreen finally grew a pair an accepted Elfman’s proposal? Were you actually trying to ruin the mood?” the dragon slayer asked, unable to keep the sharp bite out of her voice.

“I- I didn’t want to! It’s just… you’ve been hanging out with Gray a lot lately and-”

“And what’s that got to do with you making a scene at a celebration?” Natsu sneered, cutting the blonde off.

“Because you two have gotten really close lately. Gray is looking at you as if he’s interested, but what he’s really interested in is the fact that you’re a woman. I just don’t want you two to ruin your friendship over something like this” Lucy said as she took a step closer, stopping in her tracks at the look in Natsu’s eyes that radiated anger, betrayal and hurt.

“And so you ruin not only the party’s mood, but also my mood. You imply that I fucking like having this body and that I like the attention I get with it? You accuse me of not wanting to change back?” the pinkette asked and Lucy shook her head in an attempt to deny what had left Natsu’s lips, but she couldn’t.

“I’m just looking out for you. Gray has been flirting with you and you are encouraging him by reacting to it. You’re always laughing with him and you don’t even think about changing back anymore. You can’t blame me for thinking that you don’t want to change back. Do you know how heart-breaking it was for me to see how you were the first time I found out you were turned into a woman?” Lucy asked and Natsu narrowed her eyes.

“If it really was that heart-breaking to see me so miserable, you should be glad that Gray is taking my mind off it. Because that’s what he’s doing. When I’m around him, I don’t feel like my body is fucking rejecting me and I don’t feel as I need to be handled with care because I have a woman’s body now” Natsu said and looked down at the ground in front of her feet.

“Gray helps me just as much as you do. But while Gray wants to help me cope with it, you seem to prefer me being miserable” she said and Lucy flinched back, her mouth parting but nothing leaving it.

“Congratulations, Lucy. You succeeded in your goal” Natsu said and didn’t even look up at the blonde who looked like she was on the brink of crying as she pushed off from the wall to go back inside.

Maybe she had indeed been a little bit too cruel, but Lucy really shouldn’t have said what she had. She knew Natsu didn’t like anything of this and yet she had implied the opposite. Being around Gray had a normality to it that relaxed Natsu and that made her feel better than she had felt than even before she had been transformed into a woman. 

But Lucy’s words had hit her hard, especially the ones that told her Gray was only interested in her because of her body. Natsu wasn’t going to lie and say that she had never thought about it like that. She did, all the time. But the difference was, she didn’t mind. She had harnessed feelings for Gray for a long time, and if having a female body interested him enough to look at the pinkette for even a while, Natsu would take it, enjoy it and then forget it.

In her eyes, the only way she would be able to stay close to Gray, was by being a woman. The fact that Gray flirted with her only proved it. It did sting a bit that Gray was interested in this form, but Natsu would take what she could get before she left it all behind. 

In a way, this wasn’t really a curse, but more of an opportunity. To feel what it was like to be on the receiving end of Gray’s affection before leaving it all behind. That she would try to cut off her feelings for the ice-mage as together when she changed back into a male. Maybe the change really was a blessing in disguise. A bitter-sweet one.

“Hey, what happened?” Gray asked as Natsu stepped up behind him.

“I’m going home. It’s late” Natsu said and picked up a sleeping Happy from on the table.

“I’ll walk you home” Gray said as he stood up, causing Natsu to look at him.

“You don’t have to” she said and Gray gave an amused scoff.

“It’s not you I’m worried about, but the town. You look just about ready to burn it to the ground. I’ll just be there, ready to freeze the whole thing over before you can cause any real damage” he said and Natsu looked at him, unable to even return his relaxed smile.

“Let’s go” the ice-mage said as he stepped from behind the bench and gently laid a hand in the pinkette’s back to guide her towards the door, his touch lingering a little longer than what was considered platonic. He glanced back to see if they had been noticed before they slipped away onto the cold streets.

“I suspect Gajeel, at the very least, noticed us leaving” Gray said and Natsu gave a hum.

“Probably, but he’s too happy to have Levy to himself to say anything” she said and Gray pushed his hands in the pockets of his jeans.

“You and Lucy had a fight, I heard” he said and looked up at the sky as Natsu didn’t answer.

“I guess I should thank you for defending me like that” he said and Natsu finally glanced up at him.

“Gajeel?” she guessed and Gray looked sideways at her without lowering his chin.

“Bickslow” he corrected and Natsu looked away again, another silence falling over them. Natsu was grateful for the fact that the silence was not tense or awkward, even if it wasn’t comfortable either.

“You want to fight it off? We can take a de-tour to the river” Gray suggested and Natsu shook her head.

“Happy’s sleeping. And I’m not in the mood” she said and it was not a lie. At the current moment, she felt pretty much numb. Gray understood and with a hum, allowed a silence to fall as they walked. The ice mage walked the dragon slayer all the way up to her front door, where they both paused. 

“I’ll go now” Gray said as he turned away, back towards the town.

“Gray” Natsu called out, soft enough not to wake Happy up, but loud enough to stop the raven in his tracks and gain his attention.

“I don’t know how much Bickslow heard or told, but I meant it, you know” Natsu said and looked away as Gray turned back to her.

“I’m glad you’re taking my mind off things and I’m grateful that you’re not treating me any different. Well, besides of a few things” she said and Gray gave a crooked, but genuine smile.

“I just… thank you, for helping me, even if that wasn’t your intention” Natsu said and Gray gave a hum, taking a step closer to the pinkette again.

“Hey, we might not have been this close before, but that doesn’t mean things can’t change. I’m glad I’m able to help you, flame brain” he said and Natsu huffed as she averted her eyes.

“Way to ruin the moment, ice-cube” she said and Gray grimaced as he tilted his head.

“Us? Having a moment? Do you have a fever, match-stick?” the ice-mage teased and Natsu gritted her teeth.

“Fuck off, ice-princess. I was trying to be kind for once” she said and Gray huffed.

“Yeah, well, never do it again, unless you want me to pat your head, because I really have that urge right now. Maybe because you’re a head smaller than me” he said and Natsu glared up at him, ticked off at the one-up he had on her at the current moment.

“When I get my body back, I’ll be just as tall again. And whether I’m in this form or my original one, it’s still be like patting a rabid dragon and if you want to lose that hand so badly, then by all means, go ahead and pet me all you want” Natsu threatened and Gray raised his hands.

“Ooh, scary. What’s the rabid dragon going to do? Grab a ladder so you can bitch-slap the ever loving fuck out of me, or maybe take the slower way and start by biting my ankles off until you reach my knees?” Gray taunted and Natsu glowered at him.

“Both options sound plausible, but I’d rather go with a nut-shot to get you on my eye level before I bit your nose off” the dragon slayer said and Gray grimaced.

“Please don’t. My nuts are precious goods I still need to use” he said and Natsu smirked, though it was short-lived. Gray gave a sympathetic smile as he did raise his hand to let it fall on top of the pinkette’s messy locks.

“No-one is forcing you to smile all the time, Natsu. It’s okay to show that you’re fed up with this situation. Nobody will be surprised, you know” Gray said and Natsu didn’t even have the energy to slap off the raven’s hand.

“But that’s not me” she said and Gray sighed.

“That’s not the ‘you’ you always force yourself to be. It’s okay to crash sometimes. We’ll be there to catch you. That’s what we’re for” Gray said and Natsu gave a hum.

“Good night, Gray” she said and the ice-mage gave a hum, taking that as his signal to leave. Natsu closed the door behind her before laying Happy inside the hammock. It didn’t take long before her face hit her pillow on the couch and her shoulders started to shake. 

This was all just too damned confusing and draining, her emotions conflicting on the inside.


	7. Seventh chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer :: I don't own anything but the story!

Gray had thought that Natsu had been taking steps in the right direction of feeling comfortable enough to stop faking her smile despite the freak situation she had gotten into. But he was pretty damned wrong. If he hadn’t been, he wouldn’t be standing in front of the closed door of her house.

The fight she had had with Lucy last week had really done a number on her. She had practically locked herself up in her house again, only coming outside to take a job and leave. She took small jobs that could be done in a few hours and when Gray had waited for her at the guild to suggest a slightly bigger job, he hadn’t seen hide nor hair of her. He only understood when Mirajane informed him that instead of coming early, she now came extremely late, just to avoid all the others.

Gray had been worried before, wondering if he had made the situation with Natsu and Lucy worse. He felt partly responsible for the fight they had had and wanted to give Natsu the time to get herself together again. The ice-mage was aware of the fact that Natsu hated it to have people see her being weak, something she had shown Gray.

But when Happy came to the guild, seeking comfort with Gray and not Lucy, Gray had been confused. Usually, Happy went to Lucy without fail, yet at that moment, despite both of them being at the guild, Happy hadn’t hesitate in coming to his side, which was no-where near the blonde, lest it caused another explosion.

Happy had told him about Natsu’s condition, that she was overworking herself and had on top of that, stopped eating again. He explained that when she had first found herself transformed, she had stopped eating too, but that because of Gray, she had started eating regularly again. Apparently, the fight with Lucy had caused the pinkette to once again stop eating.

At that point, Gray had drawn the line. He had wanted to take Happy and leave the guild, but Happy had said that it would be better to go alone. So, Gray had listened and he had set out alone. He had stopped by a few stores on his way to the house, but he had made it and he had no intention of leaving without seeing the fire-mage eat. Gray was aware that he didn’t need to knock, that Natsu already knew he was there if she was inside.

“Gray?” Natsu spoke up behind him, clearly not inside. But at least she had come home.

“What are you doing here?” the pinkette asked as she brushed past the ice-mage to unlock her front-door. That was new. Nobody was stupid enough to try and break into the house of a dragon slayer, especially not someone who was as notorious as Natsu.

“Well, a little blue bird came crying to me that you stopped eating again and I’m here with food to make sure you don’t drop dead of malnutrition” Gray said and Natsu finally glanced up at him before giving a sigh.

“If that’s charred pork, don’t even try. Happy tried that one and it didn’t work. I’m just not hungry” she said and Gray huffed.

“Why would I go out of my way to buy charred pork? Who would even eat something so disgusting. I brought ice-cream, isn’t that obvious? Now, are you going to let me in or what” he said and Natsu looked at him before turning away again.

“Fine, you can come in. But only because the ice-cream sounds good” she said and Gray saw that as a point scored, following inside after the pinkette. To his surprise, it was much cleaner than he had expected, but Gray had a feeling there was a reason for that. Despite that Natsu did keep her stuff somewhat clean, if not disorganized, she was a bit of a hoarder. Though not as bad as Erza.

“Where are the spoons?” Gray asked as he walked into Natsu’s kitchen, which was no doubt the cleanest and more ordered room of the entire house.

“Top drawer on the left cabinet. Bowls are in the top cabinet above the stove” Natsu called from the living-room and Gray scoffed.

“Who the hell needs bowls. It’s ice-cream” he said, knowing Natsu was able to hear him no doubt. He returned to the living-room with two large spoons, flopping down in the sofa next to the dragon slayer. Natsu watched as Gray took the small ice-cream tubs out of the bag he had brought, spreading them out on the table in front of them.

“You can pick all of these, but the strawberry one is off limits” Gray warned as he opened the tub holding strawberry ice-cream. Ignoring Natsu’s eyes on him, he opened the container of sprinkles before dumping a load of it into his tub of ice-cream. As he leaned back, Natsu reached out for the lemon tub, cracking it open. They remained in silence until Gray took a break of his strawberry ice-cream to test the melon one.

“Hmm, this is good” he said, drawing Natsu’s attention. Gray held out his spoon with a bit of the orange ice-cream on it and saw Natsu doubt before she leaned over, crossing the space between them to sample the offered ice-cream. Her eyes widened slightly in surprise.

“You’re right. It’s a good combination with the sourness of the lemon” Natsu said and Gray raised an eyebrow.

“Seriously?” he asked and Natsu nodded, scooping up a bit of the lemon ice-cream before adding the melon. As she held out her spoon, Gray didn’t hesitate to put it in his mouth.

“Ah, you’re right. Lemon and melon” he said and Natsu snorted at the two combined names that held the exact same letters but switched up. Gray leaned forward to pick up the blueberry tub and opening it.

“Lemon and blueberry is good too” he said and mixed the sample for Natsu to taste, holding out his spoon. He could see that the ice-cream was lifting Natsu’s mood and he had no intention of stopping until he had drawn a laugh out of her.

“Pistachio and chocolate” Natsu said as she reached forward to crack open the two named tubs. Gray was glad he had bought too much.

“Try pecan and banana” Gray suggested as they prepared the spoons for the other. As they continued to mix and match the ice-creams, the two mages shuffled loser to each other. Where they had started at opposite sides of the couch, they were now sitting thigh to thigh. At least half of the smalls tubs were empty while the others were halfway there.

“It’s the first time my ice doesn’t melt upon touching. I guess there are perks to being an ice-mage, huh” Natsu said as she spooned a spoonful on only sprinkles into her mouth, the tiny balls cracking between her teeth as Gray scoffed.

“Is that the only thing I’m good for?” he asked and Natsu gave an amused huff.

“Thanks, Gray. For doing this. Ice-cream is a good ice-breaker” she said and the ice-mage grimaced.

“Oh, god no” he said instantly. Of course it had to be her own lame pun and his reaction to it that would get Natsu to laugh.

“No, but seriously, thanks” the pinkette said as she jabbed her spoon into the cloth of strawberry ice-cream Gray had parted with.

“I didn’t think Lucy’s words would hit me this hard and before I knew, I couldn’t stomach another bite of food anymore” she said and Gray looked at her, silently waiting for her to continue after the spoon she had shoved in her mouth.

“I tried to distract myself with work, but no matter how many jobs I took, I still couldn’t get it out of my head” she said and Gray played with his own ice-cream, scraping it with his spoon.

“Was this your first real fight?” he asked and Natsu scoffed.

“Could you please stop making it sound as if Lucy and I are together?” she asked, though there was a slight bitter tone to her voice.

“You’re not?” Gray asked and Natsu glanced at him.

“No, we’re not. We’re not even close to being official, at least not on my part. The guild just loves to gossip about it and maybe that gave Lucy hope, but we’re not together. But I guess, as friends, it is our first real fight” she said and Gray tried to supress the excitement he felt at the revelation that Natsu and Lucy weren’t even close to being a couple.

He should have guessed it, since Natsu was not the type to flirt with anyone else when he was together with someone. Gray hadn’t even expected that the pinkette even knew how to flirt in the first place, let alone do it behind someone’s back. Natsu was loyal to a fault and she would never betray someone like that. It was one of the things that attracted Gray, even if it worried him. Because if she was every betrayed, the backlash of it would hit the fire-mage harder than anything.

“She accused me of being happy in this body” Natsu said and instantly, Gray’s excitement died down, replaced by surprise that bordered on shock. How could anyone think that? Were they so blind to the fake smiles Natsu put up every day?

“She said that I enjoy the attention this body gives me and that I don’t want to change back because of it” the pinkette said and Gray scoffed.

“That’s ridiculous” he said, gaining Natsu’s attention.

“Anyone with eyes can see that you absolutely hate being like this” he said and Natsu looked away.

“Then why can’t Lucy see it? She kept going on about how heart-breaking it was for her to see me miserable, but she’s the one who ruined my mood at the party” she said poked her ice-cream with her spoon.

“I don’t want to be like this and I feel like shit all of the time because of this body. How could she accuse me for wanting to keep it? So what if I’m laughing with you? Why is that so wrong?” she asked and Gray looked away.

“Maybe she’s jealous. I mean, she likes you and you’re constantly around me. Not to mention that we’re flirting. It’s obvious that she’d get jealous” Gray said and Natsu blushed despite the topic.

“But that doesn’t give her the right to get so angry at me. I know she’s interested in me, and maybe I gave the wrong signals or something, but I’m not interested in her. I can’t see her in that way, no matter how much I tried” she said and shook her head, not noticing the way Gray had perked up at the revelation.

“She was the one who got feelings for me. I don’t have to take responsibility for that. I don’t want to hurt her, but I will never be together with her. She has no right of accusing you of just being interested in my body” Natsu said and pulled her shoulders up slightly.

“I mean, yeah, we’re flirting around, but so what? I can do what I want to and hang out with who I want to. I don’t have to explain myself to her just because she has feelings for me. I really don’t like the way I’m currently thinking about her, but she’s just being pushy” she said and raised her hand to push her bangs back.

“Not to mention the guild that keeps pushing us together. They’re all convinced that it’s only a matter of time me and Lucy end up together and while Lucy denies it, she’s getting more and more hope because of it” she said and gritted his teeth.

“I hate the way I’m getting annoyed and angry with her, but I can’t stop it” she said and Gray gave an understanding hum.

“It’s not weird, you know” he said and Natsu didn’t even look up, so the ice-mage continued.

“Everyone is pressuring you into something you don’t want. It doesn’t surprise me that you’re thinking like that. Getting annoyed with her because both Lucy and the guild are pushy doesn’t mean that you respect Lucy any less” he said and reached out a hand to rest it on Natsu’s knee resting against his own, giving it a light squeeze.

“I’m in the same position with Juvia, so I know how you feel. I get shit-ass annoyed with her too and the guild just keeps on encouraging her. It sometimes gets so bad that I want to freeze her with devil slaying magic, you know” he said and the pinkette looked up at him as he smiled at her.

“But that doesn’t mean that I don’t respect her. Juvia is a strong mage and a kind-hearted, beautiful woman. But I’m just not interested in her. I could have been, don’t get me wrong. But the stalking and obsessive, clingy behaviour really turns me off and I’ll never be able to look past that” he said and shrugged.

“I’m pretty obvious about that, yet the guild continues to give Juvia hope and they expect me to respond to that. They mean well, but it’s not always appreciated” Gray said and Natsu sighed.

“I know that they mean well, but I just… can’t they just stick to their own? Or at least keep my hearing in mind? I can’t stand them constantly implying that we’re actually already together but just too shy or not ready yet to make it public. Telling me to get over myself and grow a pair to ask Lucy out” she said and shook her head.

“I tried. I tried to force myself to get feelings for Lucy. To respond to both her and the guild’s wishes, but I couldn’t. Not only was it impossible, I couldn’t do that to her. I just wished they would get off my back, you know” she said and Gray gave an amused huff.

“You said it. Why don’t you try a fake relationship? Maybe then they’ll get off your back?” he suggested and Natsu grimaced.

“Impossible. Do you really think I will be able to lead someone on like that?” she asked and Gray instantly shook his head.

“Absolutely not” he said and looked at her as she gave a bitter chuckle.

“If I had to do something like that, I’d rather just do it with someone I actually like” she said and Gray raised an eyebrow, feeling that she had just revealed something outrageous.

“You like someone? As in _like_ like?” he asked and Natsu’s cheeks coloured to match her hair as she averted her eyes with a shrug, the only answer Gray needed.

“It’s not going to work out” she said and Gray frowned, feeling conflicted. Was he supposed to encourage her when he felt more inclined to comfort her and weasel his way into gaining her affection?

“How can you say that without trying?” he asked, pushing away his own thoughts. Natsu was finally opening up to him more than she had ever done. He didn’t want her to start building up her walls again. The R system had nothing on the walls Natsu was able to build around herself.

“I just know so. The only way things would work out would be in this body, and that’s not me. I’ve known from the start that it’s useless, but hope really is hard to kill. When I think about Lucy in the same position, I just can’t bring myself to hurt her by being blunt” she said and Gray frowned slightly.

“What do you mean, in that body?” the ice-mage asked and Natsu tensed as she lowered her head. Gray tried to wreck his brain, trying to come up with a reason for that sentence and only finding one.

“Is it a guy you’re interested in?” he asked and the dragon slayer flinched visibly. Gray felt bad for the light of hope that flared in his chest at that reaction.

“Oh wow, so you’re gay? Or bi? You’re really the last one I expected to swing that way. I honestly thought you were straight as fuck with the way you act” the ice-mage said careless, still reeling slightly from the revelation. It was only when he felt Natsu pull away from where their bodies were pressed together that he noticed that his words could have been too insensitive.

“Natsu?” he asked and panicked at the sight of a drop falling onto the pinkette’s pants.

“Aaah! Why are you crying?!” he asked though it was obviously his fault. He grabbed the dragon slayer’s wrist as she tried to stand up to get away.

“Hey, it’s okay. Don’t run, Natsu. Sit back down” the ice-mage said but didn’t give her any choice as he pulled her back down, unsure of what to do to make her stop.

“It’s okay to be gay, you know” Gray said and Natsu bit on her lip, her eyes still down and tearing.

“Ah fuck” the ice-mage cursed helplessly as he pulled the pinkette into an embrace. God, it felt so bad to see Natsu cry. He just didn’t like it because he knew Natsu was hating it too. Natsu didn’t want to be seen as anything other than strong and Gray wanted to respect that. But he had done the opposite and made her cry.

“I was really tactless, I’m sorry. I didn’t think you’d react like this. I should have said something else. I was just surprised. I really didn’t think that you were gay because of the way you act around women. I didn’t know you were struggling with this so hard” Gray said and felt Natsu clench her fists into his shirt, that had miraculously stayed on.

“It really isn’t something to be ashamed off, you know. It’s okay to be attracted to the opposite gender. I’m not saying nobody will ever judge you, because they will. But I’m won’t. I’m not even in any position to judge since I’m the same” Gray said as he felt Natsu’s shaky inhale against his hands that were wrapped around her.

“You’re the same?” Natsu asked, her voice cracking because of the lump that was no doubt stuck in her throat. Gray rested his chin on top of her head as he frowned slightly.

“Well, not exactly, but I’m bi-sexual. That means I go for both women and men. I thought you were already aware of this. It’s not like I ever hid it, you know” he said and Natsu lowered her head again.

“I didn’t know that was possible” she said and Gray pulled back enough to lift the dragon slayer’s face to look at her.

“Of course that’s possible. Love and attraction doesn’t need to be based on gender, you idiot. It’s not like there is a rule book or guidelines that say love and attraction can only happen between a man and a woman” Gray said and scoffed.

“And even if there is a rule like that, we’re fucking fairy tail. We do nothing but breaking rules” he said and averted his eyes shortly.

“And properties and our surroundings” he added, finally receiving a chuckle from the dragon slayer.

“But honestly, Natsu, there is absolutely nothing wrong with being attracted to the same gender. Since I’ve been open from the beginning, I can only imagine how hard it must be to come to terms with it and to accept it, let alone come out with it. But you can trust me, you know” Gray said and wiped away one of the pinkette’s tears that rolled off her cheek.

“And not only me, but the guild too. You don’t have to tell everyone right away, but you can come out to some people. A few people you really trust and who you know can keep a secret” he said and Natsu looked down, still shaken up from coming out.

“But it’s unnatural, isn’t it? It’s gross, right?” she asked and Gray huffed.

“Do you think Max is gross? Do you think I’m unnatural?” he asked and the dragon slayer’s eyes shot up.

“No” she said instantly and Gray huffed.

“Then why would you be any different? I can’t speak for other people outside the guild, but fairy tail is very accepting. They won’t reject you just because of your sexuality. But you don’t have to come out to them yet if you’re not ready for it” he assured and Natsu looked down. It wasn’t hard for Gray to guess that the sigh that left her lips contained a lot of weight that had previously been in her shoulders. He suspected that it was only half of it.

Yet it was freeing enough to coax a laugh from the dragon slayer. Gray looked down on her as she lowered her head to laugh, which sounded a little trembling and desperate. The ice-mage’s heart thudded in his chest as she looked up at him with closed but tearing eyes, a smile on her lips.

“So, I’m not the only one?” she asked and Gray was too taken aback to answer. Had she really thought she had been the only one to ever fall for someone of the same gender? No wonder she had been so tense whenever she and Lucy were mentioned. No wonder she sounded so shaky.

“I’m really not the only one?” she repeated and Gray returned his chin to the top of her head. He tightened his grip on her frame, her words tugging on his heartstrings.

“No, you’re not the only one and you never will be” he said and scowled embarrassed at the wall in front of him.

“Now stop crying, idiot. You’re getting snot all over my shirt” the ice-mage said and Natsu laughed softly.

“It’s a miracle you’re still wearing it” she pointed out as she started to collect herself again.

“Want me to take it off then?” Gray teased and Natsu huffed.

“You take it off so much, it’s a rare sight to see you with your shirt on” she said and Gray rolled with his eyes. He continued to stay with Natsu for the rest of the day, even staying over for dinner to make sure she actually ate something. It was then then that he heard that the reason for locking her door had been because Lucy had been waiting for her inside.

Gray knew the feeling, but sadly, in his case, locking his door didn’t work. Water could slip through the small crevice underneath his door. Usually, he froze those little splits so nothing could slip through. It was only when that same door clicked closed behind him, that the dots in Gray’s head finally connected.

During his conversation with Natsu, she had not only said that she would never lead someone on as a shield to get the guild off her back, but she had admitted that she currently held romantic feelings towards someone. Someone who was male. And at this point, all Gray could think about was himself. Not in an egoistic, vain kind of way, but because everything connected to the fact that Natsu had confirmed that they were indeed flirting.

Gray didn’t want to assume things, but he couldn’t help but feel encouraged and excited. A nervous kind of excited. Like Natsu had said, hope really was hard to kill. Gray didn’t want to kill it, it would seem like a waste when there was huge possibility that their feelings were the same. He would only need to get her as far as confirming it.


	8. Eigtht chapter.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer :: I don't own anything but the story!

“Hide me” Natsu said as she sat down heavily on the bench next to Erza, across from Gray who had Juvia next to him. The pinkette looked exhausted, her eyes tired and hair a messy ponytail. Unlike the long shirt everyone had gotten used to, she now wore one of the few shirts she owned. Though, upon closer inspection, Gray recognized it as his own, the one he had accidentally left behind after visiting the pinkette. It was unsurprisingly hot for Gray to see Natsu in his clothes.

“What happened to you?” Erza asked as Juvia tilted her head in confusion. Apparently, she recognized the shirt too, which was slightly disturbing since Gray had barely worn it once or twice.

“Lucy dragged me to Magnolia’s central library even before I was awake. I had to rush to pull something on or she’d have dragged me outside naked. I didn’t even get to eat at all today” Natsu said which explained the shirt situation. But it didn’t explain the reason why she was alone.

“Then where is Lucy?” Erza asked as she looked around, seeing if she could find a mop of blonde hair.

“I ran” Natsu said and Gray didn’t blame her, even if Erza obviously took offence.

“You mean you left her alone?” she asked and Natsu ducked her head.

“I told her I was leaving. Because she was with her nose in a book, I don’t know if she heard me” she said, but it was not enough to explain herself in Erza’s eyes. 

“Natsu, you really shouldn’t have left Lucy like that. She’s been really stressed lately and not two weeks ago, you had a serious fight with her. She’s trying her best to help you and you answer her efforts by running away from her?” Erza asked and Natsu looked away, her expression slipping. It was funny and sad how everyone forgot that in this situation, Natsu was the one most stressed. 

As Erza continued to rant about how bad it was for Natsu to leave Lucy behind at the library like that, Natsu’s mood only soured. Gray reached his foot out under the table, bumping the toe of his shoe against the pinkette’s ankle to get her attention. As Natsu looked at him, the ice-mage lifted his eyebrow shortly, to which Natsu answered with a roll of her eyes.

Their ankles rested crossed against each other, yet it didn’t take long before Gray shifted his foot back, just enough to lift his foot up to brush the pinkette’s ankle. Their eyes made brief contact before Natsu returned the action, though she had stepped out of her sandal. The dragon slayer returned her attention back to Erza while Gray calmly nursed his drink as he took off his shoe. 

Their game continued innocently as both Natsu and Gray ordered some food when Mirajane came around. Their touches were teasing, never going above the knee. Natsu had been the first one to even go that far, but Gray hadn’t hesitated to return the action. Whenever their eyes would meet, amusement would be clear in both their eyes, even when it was mixed with something seductive that had a shiver run down Gray’s spine, settling in his lower abdomen. He had never really understood the appeal of footsie, but he could sort of get it now.

“Here you go, you two. The flame dinner course and the ice dinner course” Mirajane said as she stepped up to their table, holding two plates.

“Fuck, ‘m starving” Natsu said as the tray was paced in front of her, cutting off Erza’s rant. Gray’s fingers caressing the pinkette’s ankle where her foot rested on his knee, only stopped when Mirajane had walked off again. As he lifted his hand above the table, Natsu lowered her foot to the ground, locking her ankle with Gray’s the same way their other foot was connected.

“What wrong, Juvia? You’re looking flustered and yoru smile is weird” Erza said, drawing the attention to the water-mage sitting next to Gray. Juvia was indeed smiling rather creepily in a Happy kind of way. 

“Nothing. Nothing at all” the water-mage said and smiled at Erza.

“Erza-san, Juvia thinks Evergreen-san needed womanly advice for her wedding” Juvia said, easily drawing Erza’s attention away from scolding Natsu. 

“You’re right, Juvia. Evergreen can’t possibly organize a wedding on her own. As her friends, we have to make sure it becomes the biggest and best wedding of Fiore” Erza said as she stood up. Both Gray and Natsu looked at their retreat with a raised eyebrow before turning back to their food. 

“So you were finally able to run away from Lucy, huh” Gray said and Natsu sighed.

“Thank fuck. She’s been coming to my house every morning before I was even able to leave, but this morning she really went overboard” she said and shook her head.

“While she’s been coming earlier and earlier, this morning, the sun wasn’t even up yet and she was knocking at my door. We had to walk around for hours before the library even opened. And then she was the one complaining that it was too cold outside so early” she said and sighed deeply once more.

“I don’t know what she’s thinking lately” she admitted before pushing a fork-full of spicy charred pork into her mouth. Natsu might not know what Lucy was thinking but Gray did.

“She’s jealous” he said and looked up at the pinkette who raised her eyes to meet his.

“She’s been glaring at me whenever she thinks I’m not looking. She’s really pissed off at me and is probably trying to keep us apart because you hang out with me so often” Gray said and gave a half-smirk.

“She’s jealous because you’re giving all your attention to me and I’m monopolizing you” he said and Natsu raised an eyebrow.

“Somehow, I don’t really see you as the monopolizing type” she said and Gray’s smirk came through fully, brushing his foot up to the dragon slayer’s knee again.

“I might not be as touchy-feely as you, but I’m pretty possessive” he warned and Natsu answered his smirk.

“You think you are more possessive than a dragon slayer with draconic instincts?” she asked and Gray hummed.

“I might. Are you forgetting you’re sitting in front of a devil slayer?” he asked and Natsu scoffed.

“Are we competing about who is more possessive right now, or is this about strength?” she asked and poked her fork into a strip of bacon.

“Because if it’s about strength, I’m pretty sure I can pin you down, devil slayer or not” she said as she gave Gray a challenging look he couldn’t help but answer.

“But wouldn’t you rather be pinned down instead? I heard it feels really good to be in that position” Gray said and a blush appeared on Natsu’s cheeks.

“Y-you’ve been bottom before?” she asked and Gray leaned back with a smirk.

“Of course I have. The spa workers in Fiore do know how to give a massage. What else were you thinking about, perv?” he teased as he popped an ice-cube in his mouth, letting it linger on his lips. As his tongue darted out to lick up the stray drop that clung to his lower-lip, he smirked inwardly when Natsu’s eyes were glued to the action. 

“Need something to cool off? You’re looking quite flustered over there, flame-brain” he said and Natsu scoffed.

“I think you’re the one who needs cooling off. You might end up getting burned if you’re not careful” she said and Gray chuckled.

“Good thing I’m an ice-mage then” he said and send a bit of magic to his foot that brushed up the pinkette’s calf. Natsu startled at the sudden change of temperature, which earned her a smug smirk.

“Asshole” she muttered and Gray merely chuckled as they continued eating.

“So, did you actually find something in the library?” Gray asked and Natsu shrugged.

“Same old, same old. Gender changing spells, side-effects of potions, appearance transformations that went wrong. I honestly don’t think it’s any of that, but nobody seems to listen. I can’t even really explain what exactly I think it is” she said troubled and Gray leaned forward onto the table, pushing his empty plate aside.

“I’d like to think I’ve been around your stupidity for long enough to make out some of your thoughts, so try me” he said and Natus scowled at him for the insult, but answered none the less.

“I don’t think it’s a curse or a transformation. As said at the beginning of this whole mess, when the caster passed away, the change didn’t undo, like with every other curse or spell. Curses and spells are bound to the magic of the caster, so when they die, the curse and spell is broken, but that didn’t happen” she said and she made a good point.

“Also, for spells and curses, you need an incantation. The only thing the old man said was ‘I have heard your wish’, but I didn’t even say anything” she said and Gray frowned in thought.

“Maybe it’s the guy’s magic? To grant wishes” he said and Natsu frowned, considering his idea.

“I mean, he was dying, right? What if he wanted to grant as much wishes as possible before he died?” he asked and Natsu gave a thoughtful hum.

“That could make sense, but then there’s still the fact that the transformation isn’t undone yet” she said and Gray crossed his arms.

“If it’s your wish he granted, it might be connected to something from you. Your magic or your thoughts. You said before that you didn’t feel any malice from him, so it’s possible that he just wanted to help you by granting your wish and overcoming it. Do you still remember what he did to the client?” he asked and Natsu frowned up at the ceiling.

“I think it was that he managed to win the lottery, but that someone take it from him and he accused the old man for giving him a wrong prediction. I mean, I don’t know it’s been more than two months ago. You can’t expect me to remember something that was missing more than half of the full story” she said and Gray gave a hum. He was about to open his mouth when Natsu tensed, her spine straightening up.

“What’s wrong?” the ice-mage asked and Natsu grimaced as he looked at the front doors of the guild hall.

“Lucy’s here” she said and Gray as quick to grab the pinkette’s wrist as he stood up.

“I think you’ve had enough of Lucy for this week. Let’s bounce” he said and Natsu didn’t hesitate to follow him outside through the back, slipping through the door right as Lucy entered the guild hall. It was already getting dark outside as Gray and Natus jogged away from the guild, only slowing down when they reached town, bursting out in a fit of laughter because of their escape act.

“Okay, let’s continue where we left off. I think we might be onto something. Where were we?” Gray asked as they continued walking. Natsu explained where they had left off and Gray suspected that the fact that she could still remember it was because she had to tell the story countless times without anyone really listening.

“Right, so, what I was thinking about was that the man’s magic as the ability to grant wishes. Well, not really, but more of something like solving inner struggles and things people ponder a lot about. For example, the client, maybe he was having debt, or he might have been poor and have wished for money more than anything. He picked out a good ticket and won a lot of money that he wasted on gambling. Hypothetically speaking, of course” Gray said and Natsu gave a thoughtful hum.

“Hmm, makes sense. That’s actually pretty much in the direction I was thinking off. But it doesn’t make sense” she said and Gray looked at her.

“I never wanted to be a girl” she said, her tone and expression grim. Gray looked back in front of him, before he could reach out to pat her head. She’d probably burn his arm off. She would definitely burn his arm off if she knew what he was thinking about.

Gray didn’t have any doubt that Natsu wanted to change into a woman like she had. But it was true that she struggled with her sexuality and her feelings for someone of the same gender. Maybe she believed that to be together with the man of her interest, she had to be a woman, otherwise it wouldn’t work out. She had said that she was planning on giving up on these feelings, but Gray doubted Natsu even understood the meaning of the word giving up.

Maybe the wish the man had fulfilled was because Natsu didn’t want to give up on her feelings. That she wanted them to be accepted more than she wanted to be accepted for her gender. That she was too scared to harbour her feelings as a man because she was convinced they were unnatural. 

But if that was the case, why hadn’t she turned back yet? She had come out to him, hadn’t she?

“Gray?” Natsu asked, her voice shaking the raven out of his thoughts. In the time he had been stuck in his own little world, trying to figure out his thought process, they had reached the dragon slayer’s cabin and were currently standing in front of the door.

“You okay? You were pretty far away” Natsu said and Gray looked down at her. There was a thought stuck in his head, but he wasn’t sure if it was going to try. But by now, he figured Natsu wouldn’t mind testing it out.

“I want to try something. Can I?” he asked and Natsu regarded him, trying to figure out were the sudden determination came from, before nodding her consent. It was all Gray needed before he had cupped Natsu’s cheeks and leaned down. Natsu squeaked in surprise as Gray’s lips pressed against hers. 

Their eyes were open, looking at each other as their lips merely held contact, no movement what-so-ever. At least not until Natsu’s eyes closed and her lips pressed back against Gray’s. The ice-mage kind of lost it then. 

His eyes slipped closed as he released the pressure of his lips just enough to capture the blonde’s bottom lip between his own. Natsu’s fists clenched into the fabric of his shirt covering his sides as she clumsily followed the capture and release of Gray’s lips. It took Gray a few seconds before he realized the pinkette wasn’t breathing. He pulled back from the kiss, but not enough to lose all contact.

“Breath, Natsu. Through your nose” Gray said, his lips brushing against the dragon slayer’s with every syllable, his thumbs softly caressing her cheekbones. Natsu gave a miniscule nod before Gray dove back down, hungry for more. Natsu was intoxicating in all her eager clumsiness and Gray couldn’t get enough. A simple kiss would have been enough to see if it would confirm or deny the thought in his head.

But that thought was long gone, his sole focus now being the warm lips moving against his own, moulding and smacking softly. He should probably hold back not to overwhelm the dragon slayer. But Gray had always been bad at holding back, so it wasn’t really a surprise when he backed the pinkette up against the wall off her house.

Natsu released a surprised sound through her nose as her back connected with the wall, but Gray didn’t stop kissing her. Instead, he took it further. He pried open her lips, not even bothering with asking for entrance as he slipped his tongue past the small split he had created. Natsu twitched against his body as he used it to press her into the wall, a moan revibrating through their connected lips.

The moan prompted Gray to push his body flush against Natsu’s, somewhat forcing her onto the tips of her feet. He pulled back slightly, their tongues still connected as he switched the angle of his head. He didn’t allow the pinkette any more air as he pressed their lips together again. Natsu tugged slightly on shirt before she relaxed completely, a sigh mixed with a soft moan leaving her nose and sending a shiver down ice-mage’s spine.

Gray revelled in it all. The sensual dance he had dragged the dragon slayer’s tongue in, the body that was pliant yet hard against his own, the pinkette’s arms that had finally gotten bold enough to wrap around his waist, his own hands buried into her salmon locks, the heat radiating from Natsu’s body.

On second thought, that last one wasn’t normal. Natsu always had a high body-temperature, but it was never hot to the point the ice-mage could feel it warm up his hands through the fabric of her shirt. Gray pulled back from the kiss, his arms instantly catching the dragon slayer around the waist as she lost her footing.

“Oh fuck. Shit, I’m sorry. That was too much. I got too into it” Gray apologized as he looked down on the pinkette who blinked her half-lidded eyes. Her lips were moist and her cheeks red, her breath leaving her lips in short pants as perspiration slipped down her temple. Gray reeled his urges back in even if his pants felt tight, twitching in approval of the state the dragon slayer was in. Gray would be totally okay with that reaction if the situation had been normal.

“’M dizzy” Natsu panted as she blinked fast, as if she was trying to stay awake. 

“I told you to breath, didn’t I, you idiot?” Gray said and no sooner than the words had left his mouth, the dragon slayer went slack in his arms. A vile curse left the raven as he picked her up, forcibly kicking the door open and freezing the lock shut behind him. He looked between the hammock and the sofa, before deciding that the sofa would be his best option. 

As he laid her down, he couldn’t help the worried look on his face, glad she wasn’t conscious to see it. She didn’t need that kind of pity. What she needed was something to cool her down, which was right up Gray’s alley. Cooling down his hand, he placed it onto the pinkette’s forehead, hoping it would help. It better, because the next step was freezing her and then Gray would never get her to shut up about it.

As Natsu’s body began to glow faintly, Gray almost pulled his hand back in shock. Instead, he forced himself to stay in place, looking at her chest to see if it would shrink. And it did. So slow Gray wasn’t sure if it actually was shrinking or if it was just his mind playing a trick on him. He really did want Natsu to change back after all.

Not because he preferred her as male, but because it was the body the pinkette was most comfortable in. Gray really didn’t mind either gender since he liked the dragon-slayer for who he was, not for his gender. While Natsu hadn’t changed much around Gray, the ice-mage wanted the fire-mage to just be comfortable in her own body. It would instantly make everyone feel better too, including them.

Gray turned around to sit with his back against the sofa, keeping a steady rise of cold fog off his body, just to make sure Natsu’s temperature didn’t go up too much. He really didn’t want to deal with scorch marks in the sofa. The ice mage kept the pinkette’s arm in front of him, to make sure he could always check what kind of state Natsu was in and whether or not he should call for Porlyusica.

Slowly but surely, Natsu’s arm started filling out, buffing up into the familiar shape Gray was used to seeing. It was a huge relief, though he didn’t want to look back yet. Instead, he studied the dragon slayer’s arm, watching the small scars stretch together with the skin as the muscles underneath swelled up. Gray was tempted to trail the scars to know what they all felt like as he counted, but that was too sappy for him.

Gray didn’t know exactly how long it took for the pinkette to give a sign of life, his hand twitching against Gray’s palm where the ice-mage had entwined their fingers. Compared to counting the pinkette’s scars, that was just as sappy. But Gray didn’t particularly care as he turned his head, getting onto his crouched before reaching out a hand.

“Oi, wake up, flame brain” the ice-mage said as he tapped the back of his fingers against the fire-mage’s cheeks. Natsu’s eyelids twitched before the fluttered, as if the pinkette was trying to open them yet didn’t have enough strength yet.

“I’m going to draw on your face” Gray said as he waited for Natsu to wake up and take notice of the fact that he was male again. The ice-mage was aware that his threat was weak, especially since he usually just did it without warning. But he wanted to get the pinkette up and riling him up was the quickest way.

“Don’t even think about it, ice-cube” Natsu said, his voice low and rough as the weak threat proved to be successful once more. If it had woken up the pinkette from a etherion induced sleep that had kept him down for three days, Gray had figured it would work now too.

The ice-mage watched as the dragon slayer turned onto his side slightly before moving to sit up, holding his forehead with his eyes closed in the hope it would dispels any remaining dizziness. Gray waited and counted down until the moment Natsu would notice his change.

“It’s back!” Natsu cried as his eyes fell on his flat chest and his groin, his hand immediately shooting down to confirm that the ripple in the fabric of his pants was indeed his manhood that had returned. His attention immediately flew to the ice-mage next to him, his eyes sparkling with relief and excitement. 

As they stared at each other, it took all but two seconds before both of them started laughing. They tried to muffle it at first, but without success. Natsu laid back down on his back as Gray rested his forehead against the sofa, their laughter filling the house.

“A lover’s kiss? Really? How cliché can it get?!” Gray said and Natsu shook his head.

“If it had been anyone but us, Lucy would be drooling over this situation” he said and his laughter grew tense. Gray lifted his head to look at the dragon slayer.

“If I had known, I would have done this much sooner” he said, brushing off the Lucy-subject. Natsu swallowed thickly as he sat up again, going along with ignoring his previous words.

“I don’t think it would have worked. I wouldn’t have accepted it” he said and rubbed his face up and down with his hand, the one Gray wasn’t still holding onto.

“I would have probably thought that you did it because I was a woman and that it would have confirmed my sexuality as unnatural” he said and Gray could see the logic in it.

“Well, it’s one way to come out of the closet. A bit over the top, but then again, you’ve never been someone who did things like normal people” he said and was shoved back by Natsu’s fingers against his forehead. But because their hands were still connected, Gray could easily tug the dragon slayer along when he fell back. The ice-mage had no idea what was going on between them now, but for now, he didn’t mind as long as he could hear Natsu laugh without the forced undertone to it.


	9. Ninth chapter.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Final chapter! :D

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer :: I don't own anything but the story!

Natsu had thought that when he changed back, everything would be solved. But of course, things weren’t that easy. They never were and Natsu wondered how he could ever think they would be. If things were easy, it would be very boring. But at this moment, he could go with boring. At least it was better than the twisting of his stomach.

He had come out to Gray of all people, had even flirted with him and not to mention that kiss. God, that kiss got Natsu hard even just thinking about it. But where did that put them? Had that kiss been just try to turn him back, which had succeeded? Or had it been something more? And the flirting? What had that meant?

Natsu didn’t know and the thought of those things had his stomach knot up uncomfortably. He had never thought that he would admit to being gay, to the person he liked of all people. But things had worked out that way and Gray had accepted him. Did that include his feelings or did Gray just flirt with him and kiss him just because he was interested?

No, Natsu doubted it. Gray wasn’t that kind of person. That was something Natsu was sure of, but that didn’t help his nervousness and his confusion. The weight on his shoulders that had been there because of his sexuality had now been replaced by his feelings about his interactions with Gray and what they meant. It was lighter, but a weight none the less.

Everything would be so much easier if he just got a clear-cut answer. But for that, he needed to talk about it with Gray and part of him feared being rejected. As if they hadn’t been flirting and kissing. But then again, there was always a possibility that that meant nothing.

Natsu was just about to leave for the guild when there was a knock on his door. Curious, he walked over and pulled it open. For some reason, he wasn’t even surprised to see Gray standing in front of his door. He didn’t even need to open his mouth for Natsu to know Gay had come to talk.

“Happy, you can go first. We’ll be there later” Natsu said to his partner, who attached his knapsack to his back.

“Aye sir. Today is the day Carla will accept my fish, I’m sure of it!” Hapy announced and even Natsu didn’t think he was going to have much success. But he didn’t want his partner to feel down or in pain, so he just waved the exceed off. Who knew, maybe Happy got lucky.

“Come in” Natsu said as he stepped aside to allow the ice-mage entrance. Gray stepped forward, his hands still in his pockets as he didn’t bother to take off his shoes. It wasn’t really necessary at Natsu’s place because of all the junk, though the pinkette wouldn’t call it junk but memories. Memories Gray almost sat on when he took place in the sofa, waiting for Natsu to join him.

“We need to talk” Gray said and Natsu gave an agreeing hum, slouching in his seat to appear relaxed when it really felt like he was going to throw up from sheer nerves. He could take Jellal any day without blinking, could boldly challenge Laxus and Gildarts on his worst days, defeated countless strong mages when he thought he was going to get ripped apart. But facing Gray in this current situation, was too much for his nerves to handle calmly. 

“Yeah, I know” the dragon slayer said and Gray looked at him. 

“I’ll just come right out and say it, we’ve already beat around the bush for long enough” the ice-mage said and Natsu tensed up, forcing his breathing to remain a calm and steady in and out despite feeling as if no air entered his lungs.

“This is going to sound so childish, but I like you, Natsu” Gray said and Natsu looked up at him, feeling his heart stutter a beat behind his ribs.

“I know you like me too, so I just thought I’d say it out loud, since you wouldn’t understand otherwise” the ice-mage said and Natsu had a feeling he should be insulted. He would probably have been, if he wasn’t too busy with trying to stop his face from burning and his stomach from knotting up. He tried to discreetly wipe his sweaty palms on his pants.

“I-I uhm… I do. Like you, I mean. In that way” Natsu said, feeling the need to voice it, even if it was just for himself. To say it out loud against something that wasn’t his own reflextion.

“I know. Otherwise you wouldn’t have been flirting with me” Gray said slightly amused and Natsu averted his eyes.

“So, what now?” he asked and Gray shrugged.

“Whatever you want, except for going back to being friends. I like you and you like me, so I have no intention of going back to being just friends. We can be something more than friends without being too serious and see how you like that, or we can start dating exclusively. I’m cool with either of the two” he said and looked at the pinkette.

“I know you’re not comfortable enough to come out yet, so I respect that. I might be possessive, but I won’t force you to go public when you’re not ready yet” the ice-mage said and Natsu swallowed as he looked away from the raven, reaching his hand up to scratch the back of his neck.

“How about we just start dating and see who notices? We don’t have to announce it, but we don’t have to deny it when they ask?” Natsu asked and Gray gave a hum. 

“That’s what I would prefer, but only if you’re comfortable with it” he admitted and Natsu nodded.

“I wouldn’t have said it if I wasn’t” he said and Gray gave a hum. 

“Are you sure about this? I mean, you know I’m gay, but you like women too, right?” Natsu asked and Gray hummed.

“True, but I only date the ones I really like. I’ll be blunt and admit that I had a few flings over the past year, male and female, but I only really dated one or two in the past. I don’t want to have something casual with you and I don’t plan on going back to being friends either. Not with the feelings I’m having” Gray said and smiled.

“Besides, I really don’t care whether you are a man or a woman. I’ll check your ass out no matter which gender you are” he said and Natsu blushed.

“You stared at my ass before?” he asked and Gray snorted.

“Pretty much all the time” he admitted and Natsu gaped at him as he smirked.

“I want to say something, but I can’t. I’m the same every time you take your clothes off” Natsu admitted and Gray chuckled as he leaned closer. Natsu’s breathing hitched as he inhaled, yet he didn’t move away.

“Good to know. I might strip more just because of that” the ice-mage said and Natsu forced his eyes to look up, away from the raven’s lips and to his eyes that radiated amusement. 

“Don’t bother. You already strip enough. Any more and it’ll stop being special” he said, though his voice had a slight nervous edge to it.

“But just because something stops being special, doesn’t mean you can’t appreciate it” Gray said and Natsu was starting to get annoyed and impatient. Gray’s words were fanning out against his cheeks, his face so close their lips practically brushed together. Yet he didn’t seem to be in any rush to kiss the dragon slayer.

“You really do have an exhibitionism kink” Natsu said, tempted to just lean forward. It wouldn’t be far and the fact that it would wipe away the smug smirk on the raven’s face, would be a bonus. But apparently, he didn’t need to.

“Only when it’s you who’s watching” Gray said as his hand landed in the back of the pinkette’s neck, pulling him closer as he closed his eyes, their lips finally connecting. Natsu tensed up at the initial contact before he relaxed with a sigh, allowing his eyes to close.

Gray didn’t seem to have any intention of leaving it at that as his tongue brushed against the seam of Natsu’s lips. On instinct, Natsu parted his lips. It was only because he knew what would come next that he was unsurprised by Gray’s tongue slipping past his lips. Unlike the first time when Natsu had needed coaxing, the dragon slayer eagerly met the cold tongue inside his cavern. 

As their tongues tangled, Gray carefully but without a doubt pushed the pinkette back until he was laying down on the couch. Natsu’s heart stuttered at this, but he didn’t hesitate to wrap his arms around the raven’s shoulders to keep him close. It felt too good to stop now.

Natsu’s legs spread automatically to accommodate the raven, allowing the ice-mage to get comfortable between his thighs. He hooked his legs behind Gray’s as they made out, their bodies pressed together as the ice-mage held up his weight on his elbows next to the pinkette’s head.

It would be a lie to say that Natsu didn’t get aroused by the whole thing, but he wasn’t sure if he was ready to go that far yet. Gray didn’t seem to make any move of taking it further than making out, so Natsu was able to relax completely, give himself over to the raven and the sensation each brush of his tongue and each smack of their lips gave him.

Their hands roamed, Gray’s combing through the spikes of salmon hair, following down a strong waist to a thick thigh, back up to a scarfed neck. Natsu’s hand mapped out the raven’s back, sliding under the fabric of his shirt the same way Gray’s hands had slid under his open sleeve-less top. 

Gray’s skin was cold to the touch, especially against the dragon slayer’s heightened temperature. It felt good, comforting yet arousing. A touch that intoxicated paired with a kiss that stole their breath. Yet neither cared much for breathing at the moment as they continued to make out, tangled up in each other.

Gray finally pulled back, breathing rapidly as he looked down on the pinkette with half-lidded eyes. His lips were shining with a sheen of saliva, his cheeks dusted red by the lack of oxygen. Natsu wanted to believe that he had a part in putting that colour on the ice-mage’s face. The same way Gray had large part in the colour that was on his own face, a small trial of saliva running down from the corner of his mouth. 

“Natsu” Gray whispered, his voice breathy as his lips folded around the dragon slayer’s name. Natsu was about to answer, calling for the ice-mage, when his stomach decided to do it for him. Way to ruin the moment. Yet it was so typically Natsu that Gray couldn’t help but laugh as Natsu looked away with something akin to a pout.

“Oh shut up, ice-cone. It’s normal to get hungry” Natsu said and Gray sat back onto his knees.

“Want to take care of that first before we go to the guild?” Gray asked as he gave a pointed look at the bulge in Natsu’s pants.

“Nah, it’ll go down. Beside, mine is easier to hide” the dragon slayer said as he shoved his hand down his pants to adjust himself, his eyes shooting down to the even more obvious bulge in Gray’s jeans. 

“I guess I better not strip until it goes down then” Gray said and stood up. Natsu’s legs were a little wobblier, but he was able to brush it off rather quickly. As they walked to the guild, both of them completely avoided the subjects Lucy and Juvia. While Juvia had been acting all smiley-smiley around them, Lucy had been a different story. 

His hearing didn’t help either, as he could hear the guild all speculate about when Lucy was going to confess not that Natsu had turned back. For one reason or the other, Juvia wasn’t entirely on board with it, unlike what Natsu expected. He had really been so sure that Juvia would push Lucy to confess so that she would be able to spend more time with Gray.

Lucy on the other hand, was getting more and more courage from the guild member’s talking. Natsu had hoped that she wouldn’t and that maybe, she would get annoyed at the rumours or the pushing off the other members. But the opposite happened. It had taken all of three days before Natsu heard the news he had dreaded.

“Watch out, Salamander. The cheerleader is on confession warpath” Gajeel said, sitting a few tables down with team shadow gear. Natsu looked up at the iron dragon slayer, knowing they were the only ones who heard each other. Well, except for Gray next to Natsu and Levy next to Gajeel. But Levy was too deep in her book to care about what the dragon-slayer next to her was saying as she leaned into his side under his heavy arm.

“Are you kidding me?” Natsu asked, earning a confused glance from the ice-mage next to him and Gajeel smirked.

“Nope. She and the shrimp were talking about it yesterday. Blondie has convinced herself to do it today. She’s been waiting to do it for the past week and Levy finally managed to encourage her to do it” the iron dragon slayer said and Natsu sighed as he lowered his head, raising a hand to brush it through his hair. 

“That was unnecessary” he said and heard Gajeel laugh. 

“What’s wrong?” Gray asked and Natsu glanced at his boyfriend. Yes, boyfriend!

“Drama. We’ll have a shit-load of it today” he said, prompting another laugh from his fellow dragon slayer. Gray looked over at Gajeel before looking back at the pinkette.

“You can have a conversation from this distance?” he asked and Natsu gave a single nod.

“Tell the ice-princess that I can even hear his thoughts from the way he’s looking at you” Gajeel said and Natsu glared at him. The taller dragon slayer really was too observant at the shittiest times. But Natsu never made any attempt to deny the iron dragon slayer’s jabs.

“There’s no way I’m telling him that, asshole” he hissed and Gajeel just laughed as Gray raised an eyebrow at him.

“Tell me what?” he asked and Natsu looked at him.

“Are you two going to let me into the conversation?” Erza asked, though it didn’t really sound like a question, but more of a demand. Luckily, Natsu was saved. Well, depending on what he counted as being saved. He just went from a non-serious yet potentially deadly situation, to full-on drama-soap waiting to happen.

“Hey guys” Lucy said as she stepped up to their table with a smile on her face, a blush already on her cheeks. If Natsu tried, he could hear how fast her heart was beating as she clasped her hands behind her back. 

“Good after-noon, Lucy” Erza greeted as Gray gave a nod.

“Natsu, can I speak with you for a second? In private?” Lucy asked and Gray instantly understood what was going to happen. Erza did too, as well as the rest of the guild-hall, who pretended not to pay any attention to them, but were failing.

“Sure” Natsu said, though there was a slight reluctant hint to his voice that no-one but Gray noticed. Their eyes connected shortly as Natsu rose from his seat to follow the blonde outside through the back, ignoring the eyes that stared after them.

Once they were outside, Natsu leaned against the wall, crossing his arms in front of his chest as Lucy looked around nervously. It was rather amusing to think that the last time they had been outside together like this, it was to have a fight. As Lucy searched for words to open the conversation with, Natsu glanced towards the door where he could guess some of his fellow guild-members were trying to eavesdrop. 

“So, uhm, Natsu, how are you feeling?” Lucy asked and scratched the back of her neck.

“I’m fine. Glad to be able to piss standing up again” he answered and Lucy blushed.

“That’s too blunt, idiot” she hissed but Natsu had no intention of correcting himself or apologizing.

“A-anyway, I just wanted to apologize. When we fought, I was stressed and tired. I shouldn’t have yelled at you like I did” Lucy said and Natsu pushed away the urge to point out that he had been stressed even more than she had been. It wouldn’t do any good to start a fight at this point, even if he was slightly irked at the fact that she had allowed herself to be influenced into confessing by the guild.

“’S fine. Let’s just forget about it and leave it behind us. So, did you call me out here just to apologize? Because you could have done that inside” he said, giving a subtle push to get this over with. He didn’t like the position he was forced into because he knew he would need to hurt Lucy, but there was no other way.

“No, it’s not just that. But don’t you have anything to say?” Lucy asked hopeful as she wrung her hands together in front of her a she bashfully lowered her head to look up at hi through her lashes, a blush on her cheek. Natsu felt as if she was trying to make him confess to her.

“Can’t think of anything” Natsu said and Lucy looked disappointed but steeled herself.

“Then, I’ll go first” she said, as if she believed Natsu would follow once she took the first step. 

“Natsu, I… I like you. As in, romantically” she said and looked back up at the salmon-haired mage expectantly, waiting for him to repeat the words to her. Natsu felt weird, his chest tight and his gut twisted. He really hated this moment.

“Lucy, I feel flattered that you feel that way, but I don’t feel the same way” Natsu said honestly, watching shock take over Lucy’s face as it paled.

“What?” she asked, genuinely taken aback and shocked. Natsu didn’t like hurting her, but he had no intention of apologizing either. He shouldn’t have to apologize for not returning her feelings when he already liked someone else. So, instead he held her gaze, not wavering. Lucy didn’t receive it too well, apparently, judging by the slap that connected with Natsu’s cheeks.

“How dare you lead me on like this?!” she said as tears sprung in her eyes. Natsu was just startled as he looked at her.

“When have I ever?” he asked and she huffed as the tears started streaming down.

“You… you’re always so touchy with me and you break into my apartment all the time” she said and Natsu frowned at her.

“Lucy, I’m touchy with everyone and I stopped breaking into your apartment ages ago. I don’t know what kind of signals you were getting, but I don’t feel that way about you” he said and Lucy looked angry on top of being taken aback.

“Look, Lucy, I see you as a little sister and I love you as a little sister. But I will never be able to see you that way” Natsu admitted and Lucy glared at him.

“How can you say that?” she asked and Natsu sighed.

“Because I’m sure of it. I don’t have those kind of interests” he said and Lucy frowned.

“B-but the others. They said you liked me. That you were too shy to ask me out and that I should take the first step. But it was all just you leading me on and making me believe that you liked me” she said and Natsu sighed. Couldn’t she just accept the fact that he had no feelings for her and get on with it? She was just hurting herself more and making Natsu feel bad. But maybe that was her goal.

“It’s not my fault that you listened to them without properly considering me. All on your own, you decided to believe the rumours and to be influenced by the words of the others” Natsu said and looked at the blonde.

“The fact that you like me, doesn’t automatically make me responsible. You were the one who fell for me and you were the one who decided that the others knew better what I felt than I did myself. Don’t assume that because the others say so, that I like you. I knew you had feelings for me and I did everything I could not to give you hope. I didn’t lead you on, the rumours you believed did” the dragon slayer said and Lucy looked down.

“B-but you could try. You never know until you try, right? Maybe you just need to-” she started but was cut off by the pinkette.

“I like someone else” he said and Lucy stared at him in shock.

“Y-you like someone else?” she asked and Natsu gave a nod.

“I’m dating him” he admitted and caught her wrist before she could slap him again. The second one was even more unnecessary than the first one.

“You’re dating someone?! You knew I was in love with you and you never bothered to tell me?! Who is it?!” she said loud and Natsu looked at her.

“Gray” he admitted, feeling her freeze up as much as he saw it. The dragon slayer could feel how loaded the air was and he wouldn’t be surprised if he heard it cracking within the next few seconds.

“Y-you’re kidding, right? Gray?” she asked shocked and Natsu merely looked at her.

“I’m not. I’ve been in love with Gray for years and we started dating. That’s why I’ll never be interested in you, or in any woman for that matter” he said, feeling nervous with that revelation, yet he wasn’t ashamed. He shouldn’t be. He shouldn’t be taking the second slap to his cheek either, but he did. Maybe it would make her feel better, but he doubted it. 

“You’re an asshole” she hissed before she rushed back into the guild. Natsu sighed as he waited a second before pushing off and following her inside. Everyone’s attention shifted from the open front doors where Lucy had ran through, to the dragon slayer that walked inside while scratching the back of his head. 

“You okay?” Gray asked and as Natsu sat back next to him. Natsu sighed as he dropped his head onto the raven’s shoulder.

“Not really. I didn’t want to be so crude, but she wouldn’t take a no” Natsu said and Gray reached out to pat the fire-mage’s thigh in comfort, silently telling him it was not his fault.

“Are you okay with it? The whole guild heard, you know” Gray asked and Natsu hummed.

“Gajeel, right?” he guessed as he rested his hand over Gray’s their fingers slotting loosely together like they had done so often under the table.

“Gajeel and Warren” Gray corrected and Natsu scoffed.

“Why are they so inventive when it comes to drama, but not during fights when it actually matters?” he asked, no having a hard time guessing that Gajeel eavesdropped and Warren used his telepathy to send whatever Gajeel heard through to everyone else present at the guild.

“You said it” Gray chuckled and Natsu nuzzled his head slightly.

“But I’m fine with it. I knew they would eavesdrop and I said it anyway. I’m not ashamed of my feelings or you” he said and Gray smiled. Finally the silence in the guild hall was broken by the master himself, making some intangible noises.

“Y-you two are together? T-the fights… ho-how much destr… Aryaa” he breathed before he actually fainted. Gray and Natsu looked at him as he fell into Laxus’s arm.

“Oh, seems like he already figured out what the destruction we combined are going to cause” Gray said and Natsu looked trouble.

“You think he’ll be able to handle it? I mean, I don’t want to give him a heart-attack or anything” Natsu said and felt a hand curl around his head before he was pulled strongly into something very hard with a familiar thunk, Gray’s head right next to his. 

“I’m glad for you, Natsu, Gray” Erza said, her words prompting the whole guild to shake out of their shock.

“I’m sorry we pushed Lucy like that, and we are partly responsible for it. But I’m glad you two got over your constant fighting” the equip-mage said and Natsu and Gray smiled at her before they were practically pulled apart by the other guild-members, each with their questions and congratulations. Needlessly to say, it turned into a celebration, even if there was a slight sombre undertone because of Lucy’s feelings that had been unable to be answered.

It would take a while before Lucy returned and that she was able to act normal, but everyone had confidence in her the she would get past this. If Juvia could do it, so could Lucy. Well, Juvia might be a bit of another story, since she seemed to be fangirling over every little touch Gray and Natsu shared.

Compared to that, it took only one mission with a half-destroyed town, two days holding cell, a court-trail and a large sum of money for Makarov to send them on S-class missions and ban them from taking anything lower as a team unless Erza was with them to stop their destruction.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading!


End file.
